Sept 27, 1922 to Oct 30, 2011
Mavis Mahan Cain died surrounded by family on October 30, 2011 in San Rafael, CA. Mavis was part of the greatest generation. Born and raised in San Francisco to Dr. Eugene Mahan and Alma Meherin Mahan, she came of age in the Depression, matriculated from the Convent of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco, then UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Political Science in 1944. The war years on the Cal campus created an opportunity for woman to serve in leadership positions, and Mavis never looked back. She earned Phi Beta Kappa and served as President of Pi Beta Phi, Chairwoman of the Judicial Committee, and member of the War Board, Mortar Board, Ace of Clubs, and Pan-Hellenic. After graduation, she had a brief career with IBM.
Mavis married John “Ace” Cain in 1952 and moved to La Canada in 1954 where she lived for over fifty years, raised seven children, and was an active parishioner of St. Bede Roman Catholic Church. She taught Sunday school, led the local Girl Scout troop for over a decade, and eventually found her calling as an advocate for peace and justice. Starting in 1975, Mavis helped families of political refugees from Vietnam, and later from Poland, settle in the United States. She frequently volunteered at the Catholic Worker Soup Kitchen on Skid Row and encouraged many others to do the same.
