Sister Mary Melaine Tokar, O.P. Sister Mary Melaine Tokar, O.P., died in Fremont, California, on November 12, 2023.   She was 78 years old and in the 49th year of her religious profession.

Born on August 23, 1945, in Fullerton, California, Mary Melaine was one of ten children born to William G. Tokar and Mary M. Lypps.  Her siblings are brothers Matt, Vic, Joe, Mark and David, and sisters Pat, Lisa, Rosanne, and Margaret.  She is an alumna of St. Boniface School, Anaheim, and Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana, CA.   In 1971, she entered the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose and made her first profession of vows in 1974.

In Southern California, Sister Mary Melaine ministered as a teacher at St. Frances Cabrini School and Sacred Heart Elementary School, Los Angeles;  St. Boniface School, Anaheim;  San Gabriel Mission Elementary School, San Gabriel; and St. Callistus School, Garden Grove. She ministered as support staff at St. Catherine’s Academy, Anaheim and San Gabriel Mission High School.  In Northern California, she taught at St. Leonard School (now Our Lady of Guadalupe School), Fremont.  

For eleven years, Sister Mary Melaine lovingly provided home care for her parents.Sister Mary Melaine was blessed with gifts as an artist. A special way she shared this talent was making greeting cards with her signature drawings of little children.   She also delighted young students by telling them stories using puppets.For a number of years, Sister Mary Melaine carried the burden of illness.  In 2016, she was assigned to St. Martin Community at the Motherhouse where she resided until God called her home on November 12.

The Funeral Mass for Sister Mary Melaine will be celebrated on  Friday, November 17, at 11:00 a.m. at the Dominican Sisters Motherhouse Chapel, 43326 Mission Circle, Fremont, CA. Interment will follow at God’s Acre, the sisters’ cemetery at the Motherhouse. Those who attend must wear masks.