Rebecca Gale Mathis Somers

Photo:

Rebecca Gale Mathis Somers

VALENCIA, CA — Rebecca Gale Mathis Somers, 55, died in Valencia, CA on December 13, 2012. Born to Filizi B. Fessl, a German war bride, and Frank M. Mathis of Houlka, MS, a distinguished veteran of World War II who participated in the D-Day Invasion and who also fought in Vietnam, Rebecca Gale Mathis was born on December 18, 1956 in Chateauroux, France and given the middle name "Gale" to spur her on to become a stormy force of nature for the good.

She was educated in Europe and across the United States during the Cold War, putting herself through college to earn a B.A. degree with distinction from the University of California, Berkeley.

Her early career in energy facilitated extensive travel through the unspoiled landscapes of the western United States, aligning her pulse and imagination with the American spirit and exposing her to the beauty and natural splendor of the country’s heartland. A patriot and advocate for civil liberty, and one who never failed to stand up for human rights and to protect the innocent as well as the environment, she found the medium of film to be a powerful motivator to advance meaningful causes. She organized film festivals in the San Francisco Bay area, attracting adults and students, expanding horizons and opening minds at every opportunity.

An avid environmentalist, identifying herself as an “undeveloper,” she helped pioneer new concepts in renewable energy and conserve lands and open space in California and in Massachusetts and Maine.

She met her husband, Ron Somers, in 1978 in Columbus, MS and they traveled and worked as a team across the United States and Asia, living in India for 12 years from 1992-2004, supporting India’s liberalization and its arrival as a global economic power.

Mrs. Somers was active in historic preservation, animal rescue, and especially in women’s education, championing these causes right to the end.

She chose to fight advanced-stage breast cancer while overlooking the Pacific, energized by its light, organizing her last personal film tribute, featuring screenwriter Robert Bolt and directors David Lean and Akira Kurosawa, highlighting his 1951 iconic film, "Ikiru: To Live.” She died in her mother’s arms with family and close friends at her side.

Rebecca Gale Mathis Somers is survived by her husband, Ron; her beloved mother, Filizi; her uncle, Robin Mathis; brothers, Frank Jr., Gregory and Scott; sisters, Virginia "DeDe," Elaine and Barbara Jo; nephews, Adam, Lucas and Tyler; nieces, Carmen, Vanessa, Jenni, Lacey, Katie and Meghan; godson, Richard Holton; grandnephews, Kaelan, Mathis, Maddox, Marley and Theo; a grandniece, Mariah and numerous cousins and dear friends.

Known by all for her caring soul and generous heart, and for her special wit and kindness, she was a loyal friend, a loving wife, an adoring daughter and niece, a devoted sister, and an aunt and godmother who shared praise with grace and loving guidance. She touched many lives and will be missed by all.

Donations in her memory can be sent to Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills, which is building a new wing for its animal care facility at P.O. Box 82, Norway, ME 04268.

Memorials celebrating her life will be held in 2013 in California in early spring before the sagebrush blooms, and in Maine during fall foliage. Her ashes will be conferred to the Pacific, to the Ganges, to her sanctuary at North Pond, and at the Mathis Family Farm in Houlka, MS.