Joscelle Shen | Obituary

Joscelle Shen

Joscelle Shen, a devoted daughter, wife, mother and beloved member of the Saint Mark’s School community, passed away at age 45 on Tuesday, Sept. 6, after a long battle with cancer.
Shen was born in 1971 in Quezon City, Philippines, and immigrated to the United States at age 13. She started working at Saint Mark’s in July 1999 as head of admissions. Her husband, Franklyn, has been the school’s business manager for more than 20 years. The Shen’s three children have all attended Saint Mark’s. Shen was a volunteer youth leader for Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist church in Arcadia. She loved all things Disney, in particular “Star Wars.”
“Joscelle was the heart of the Saint Mark’s community and was the face of our school,” said Saint Mark’s Head of School Jennifer Tolbert. “In her capacity as the director of enrollment and operations, she was the first person to welcome our new families. Her sense of humor, approachability and warmth endeared her to our entire community, and we are deeply saddened by the loss. We thank the community at large for the continued thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
A Celebration of Life service will be held on Sept. 25, at 3 p.m. at Church of the Good Shepherd (400 W. Duarte Road, Arcadia). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Saint Mark’s School, where the Shen family has established the Joscelle Shen Award. Each year, a cash award will be given to a graduating 6th-grade student at Saint Mark’s School who demonstrates a love for the school through a written essay.