Obituary of Mary Suzanne Arias

Mary Suzanne Arias, 81, of the Finger Lakes Center, Auburn, passed away Wednesday, June 28, 2017 after a long battle with COPD. Mary (“Sue”) was born in Newark, NJ, on December 7, 1935, to the late Frank W. Sena, M.D., and Geraldine Roolvink Sena. She was predeceased by her brother Peter Sena and is survived by her sons Tomás and Paco Arias, her daughter-in-law Nancy Oplinger, M.D., her grandchildren Liliana and Francesca Arias, her sister Elizabeth Haimes, and five nieces and nephews. A brilliant woman, Mary graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy from Barnard College  and worked as a VIP travel specialist for the airlines before becoming a homemaker and dedicating herself to the raising of her two sons. She was a loving daughter to her parents and mother to her sons, and she absolutely adored her grandchildren. She was a role model for raising children with unconditional love, but with clear lines of right and wrong, and with freedom to explore, yet guardrails of safety, and always with a strong emphasis on the importance of hard work and education. A woman of deep Catholic faith, she was a living example to her caretakers of the value of human life from conception to natural death and that “quality of life” goes far beyond physical or even mental disability, directly to the depths of the human soul. A heroic fighter to the end, she showed how relief of physical discomfort is nothing compared to the good that one person can do in the world with one’s wits about her. She will be missed. This world is the lesser without her, and, God willing, heaven the greater. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 1, 2017 with the Pastor, Reverend Frank J. Lioi as  celebrant, in St. Mary’s Church, Auburn, and interment will follow in St. Joseph’s Cemetery. A calling hour will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. prior to Mass in St. Mary’s Church. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Mary’s Church. Arrangements are with Farrell’s Funeral Service, Inc., 84 South St., Auburn