MOUNTLAKE TERRACE
Manohar (Manu) Lata Sood spent her life seeking beauty — in her paintings, garden, in the children of the community or a Mountlake Terrace basketball game.
Sood passed away Nov. 12 following a two-decade battle with cancer. She was 73. A memorial service will be held at noon Sunday, Nov. 22, at the Nile Golf and Country Club, 6601 244th St. SW, Mountlake Terrace.
She is survived by her husband, Vic Sood, a Mountlake Terrace planning commissioner; son Nalin Sood of Lynnwood, a teacher and varsity basketball coach at Mountlake Terrace High School; daughter Meera Sood, son-in-law Ken MacLeod and grandchildren Kiren and Kaya, all of Columbia, Mo.; sister Shanti Mehta and brother Naval Bawa, both of London, England; plus numerous nieces and nephews.
“She was always serving others,” Nalin Sood said. “I think that’s why her children are educators. She encouraged me to help others. Once a buddy of mine came to live with us. His home life was crummy. She helped a neighbor kid get his drivers license and fostered an immigrant family.”
Sood’s community service included serving as a member of the Mountlake Terrace Arts Commission, being active in the Mountlake Terrace Garden Club and volunteering with the Edmonds School District as a substitute paraeducator and with the Native American education program.
“She really helped everyone put life into perspective,” Nalin Sood said.
It wasn’t until mid-life that his mother discovered a passion for painting, gardening, needle point and knitting.
“Where she knitted the most was in the second row of the stands at boys basketball games,” he said.
Sood lived her life as a daily example of how to treat others and what to value, said Bonnie Mercer, president of the Mountlake Terrace Garden Club.
“She never complained, always had a smile and was genuinely interested in people,” said Judy Ryan, chair of the Mountlake Terrace Arts Commission.
Sood, the third youngest of nine children, was born in Mbale, Uganda, where she lived until moving to London at the age of 18. She and Virendra (Vic) Sood were married in 1962. Following time in London and Montreal, the family settled in Mountlake Terrace. She became a U.S. citizen in 1974 and earned a degree from Western Washington University in 1978.
The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Mountlake Terrace Endowment Scholarship Association in her name to support a scholarship targeted for arts students. Donations can be sent to Mountlake Terrace High School in care of Andi Nofziger-Meadows at 21801 44th Ave. W, Mountlake Terrace, WA, 98043.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
