Mom's Service

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for all your kind words, stories and prayers.  In this past week, we have been really enjoying hearing about Mom in your letters and messages.

We wanted you to let you know that Mom's memorial service will be on Saturday, April 5, at 11 am at the First Baptist Church, 228 North Main Street, Fall River, MA.  We will have a reception afterwards in the church hall.

For those who are coming from out of town, we will be arranging room reservations at the Hampton Inn in nearby Westport, MA, 508-675-8500. Please wait until after March 17 to call for reservations.

Here is a brief write up about Mom that will run in the Fall River newspaper a week before her service.

With love and thanks, Mom's family

Pastor Denise Soebbing Soares, 68, of Tiverton, RI, passed away on March 8, 2014, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. She was the beloved wife of Edward J. Soares.

Denise was born in Ipswich, MA, daughter of the late Marie Dunn Soebbing and the late Thomas J. Soebbing. Raised in Rochester, NY, she attended Our Lady of Mercy High School. An enthusiastic and bright student, she graduated from the College of New Rochelle with a BA in literature. There she met her loving husband Edward of forty-four years. They raised their family in Baldwin, NY. Denise nurtured in their children their love of learning, nature and family traditions.

After college, Denise worked as an in-house editor for several companies; as office administrator for several churches; and also ran her own handmade crafts business. At age 57, Denise entered Andover Newton Theological Seminary, MA. Denise was ordained an American Baptist minister, and felt blessed to be the pastor of Calvary United Presbyterian Church in Fall River, MA.

In addition to her husband, Denise will be greatly missed by her children, Christiana Jones and husband Jamie; Katharine Lucas and husband Chris; and Michael Soares and wife Jiff Martin. Her beloved grandchildren will fondly remember “DeeDee”: Graylin Lucas; Jackson, Sam and Juliet Jones; Elliot Rose and Robin Soares. She is also survived by her sisters Patricia Shields, Mary Ann Thomas, her brother Thomas Soebbing, and her nieces and nephews.

The memorial service celebrating her life will take place at the First Baptist Church, 228 North Main Street, Fall River, MA, on Saturday, April 5, 2014 at 11 am; reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please direct donations to Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Adult Palliative Care Program, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215.