STIVER, Mary (Schiro, Howe) Born August 13, 1918 to Carmen and Francisco Castillo in Stockton, CA. Longtime resident of Sacramento. Loving matriarch to sons Walter, Jr. and Richard Howe, daughters-in-law Christine and Julie, grandchildren Kimberly Lasky and Jennifer, Tim, and Mike Howe, and numerous great-grandchildren. She married Walter Howe in 1940 and moved to Sacramento where she began work as an accountant. She was widowed at an early age and left deeply in debt with two young sons to support. Often working two and sometimes three jobs to make ends meet, she managed to rise above circumstance, all the while focusing first on the welfare of her boys. In 1963, she married her former employer, Frank Schiro, a plastering contractor and life-long bachelor who suddenly found himself immersed in family and managed that task with resounding success. She lost Frank in 1982. In December of 1984, she renewed acquaintances with Jack Stiver, himself a recent widower. Jack and his late wife had long been close friends with Mary and Frank. A confirmed Portlander, the city was no match for the wiles of Mary and the two were married in 1984, when they began a magical new adventure filled with travel, fine dining, and of course family. Jack passed in March of this year and Mary, too, was running out of steam. She died September 29, 2011. Mary will be remembered for her countless hours of dedication to volunteer work, her compassion for those she loved, her mastery in the kitchen, and her tremendous sense of humor. She was marked by the greatness of so many in her generation. Services will be held Wednesday, October 5th, 11 a.m., at Harry A. Nauman & Son Land Park Funeral Chapel, 4041 Freeport Boulevard in Sacramento