Community mourns “East County queens”

Two women who had never met shared one legacy – transforming East County with their generosity and paving the way for women in business.

Sharilyn “Shari” Newquist, co-owner of Yogurt Mill in El Cajon, and Mary Hennessy, owner and founder of Mary’s Donuts in Santee, both died earlier this month, leaving community members to reflect on their decades-long legacies.

El Cajon resident Mike Atkinson said three generations of his family were regulars at both Yogurt Mill and Mary’s Donuts. He said Hennessy and Newquist will be remembered as the “East County queens” for years to come.

A donut dream

Mary Hennessy moved to California in the early ’50’s after marrying her husband, Donald. She eventually got her start in the donut industry in her early fifties after training and working at multiple Winchell’s locations.

Her granddaughter, Kelly Hennessy, said Mary decided she wanted her own donut shop.

Mary’s Donuts opened for business in 1984. At the time, Kelly said, businesses refused to sell to a woman, but Mary was dead-set on doing it herself.

“My grandfather signed for it, but she did it all,” Kelly said. “It was hers. She was amazing, she did all that work.”

The storefront was relocated once in 2016 from the Mission Gorge location to Carlton Hills Boulevard, where it remains now.

A family friend, Joel Scalzitti, played a key role in securing the lease at the new location, Kelly said. With Mary’s blessing, Scalzitti opened a sister location in Lakeside.

As time passed and the business grew, Kelly said her grandmother was sure to remain front-and-center in business operations.

“Things changed over the years, but she was always there,” Kelly said. “She greeted customers when we had a line out the door.”

Kelly moved to San Diego in 2016 after her grandfather, who has since passed, fell ill. She came for what she expected to just be a summer of helping Mary, but never left.

Mary worked at the shop until her passing. She spent her life focused on work and exercise, Kelly said.

“There’s no better job than working at Mary’s Donuts,” Kelly said. “No one comes to a donut shop angry. The shop isn’t just a business, it’s a place of community. It’s a part of who she was and what she stood for: hard work, kindness and connection.”

After managing Mary’s Donuts for the last nine years, Kelly is taking over ownership following her grandmother’s passing. She said her only plan for Mary’s Donuts is to continue to operate it the way her grandmother had had.

“There’s no changing anything here, just carrying it forward with love and care,” Kelly said.

Mary died Oct. 19 at 94 years old. The family is holding a public celebration of life on Nov. 15 at the Santee Civic Center at 2 p.m.

‘A family affair’

Newquist spent most of her life in El Cajon. She started at Yogurt Mill as a manager when it first opened in 1977. She managed the location for over 40 years and eventually bought partial ownership of the company.

Her daughter, Lauri Davis, worked alongside Newquist throughout high school and into her college years.

“It was a family affair,” Davis said. “My mom was there almost seven days a week. On Sunday, she’d run over there right after church, and make sure everything was running smoothly before she could relax.”

Newquist was driven by her Christian faith and generous attitude, Davis said. Each customer was treated with the same level of attention as the next.

Yogurt Mill became a home away from home for the entire family, Davis said. This became true for many other families who made regular stops at the shop.

Atkinson said he became very close with Newquist as he regularly visited Yogurt Mill in his teenage and early adult years. He attended Christian High School in El Cajon, where he met his wife, Stacy.

“For years, I called her Mom,” Atkinson said. “She was one part sass, one part snark and a whole lot of Jesus.”

The yogurt shop transformed from his own high school hangout spot to one where he brought his own children, he said. Three generations later, his family grew and continued to visit on a regular basis.

“At one point in life, we were struggling financially and Shari came out from behind the counter and sat down at a table with Stacy where they talked for an hour,” Atkinson said. “The whole time they were talking, the kids that work in the back were bringing our kids their yogurt. When they get done talking, Stacy turns around, and she’s like, ‘Where’d the yogurt come from?’ Shari just said, ‘Oh, honey, don’t worry about it.’”

This was the level of customer service that Newquist strived for all the time, her daughter said. She went out of her way to “remember anything about everybody,” Davis said.

After retiring, Newquist moved to South Dakota with her family in 2016.

“Her heart was always in El Cajon,” Davis said.

Newquist died Oct. 14 at 86 years old.

Trailblazers for women in business 

Mary and Newquist had never met, but both acted as trailblazers at a time when it was considered somewhat unusual for women to be leaders in business, Atkinson said.

“These were the days when it just wasn’t that common and both of them had created so much happiness with their businesses,” Atkinson said. “It was just crazy parallel lives.”

Not only had the two set a strong example for girls and young women in East County, they also had provided local teens their first job opportunity, he said. Their loving personalities and deep-rooted connections within the community will be remembered for years to come, he said.

“They didn’t know each other, but Mary was all about women in business, and she would have been happy to know Shari,” Kelly said.