Obituaries Obituaries (June 15, 2005)

Birl Schultz

Former Portola Valley resident

A memorial service will be held Sunday, June 26, for Birl Orion Schultz of Carlton, Oregon, who died May 29. He was 20.

The service will take place at 11:45 a.m. at Valley Presbyterian Church, 945 Portola Road in Portola Valley.

Mr. Schultz, the only son of Peter and Marilyn Schultz, died of natural causes in Iqaluit Community Hospital in Iqaluit, Northwest Territories, Canada, his family said. He was on an international airline flight from Finland to the United States when he became ill. The plane made an emergency landing at the nearest available airport.

In Finland, he had been visiting a foreign exchange student he had known in high school.

Mr. Schultz was born at Stanford Hospital and lived in Portola Valley until the age of 10, when his family moved to Carlton. He attended Ormondale School.

He graduated from Yamhill-Carlton High School, where he served as student body president his senior year. He had just completed his sophomore year at Willamette University, where he majored in political science.

He raised sheep and drove a tractor on the family farm. He also liked to cook, say family members.

Mr. Schultz is survived by his parents, Peter and Marilyn Shultz of Carlton; grandmother Opal A. Thompson of Fountain Hills, Arizona; and grandparents George and Charlotte Shultz of Stanford. Mr. Schultz is a former U.S. Secretary of State.

The family prefers contributions be made to the Birl Schultz Scholarship Fund at Willamette University, care of Macy & Son Funeral Directors, 135 N.E. Evans St., McMinnville, OR 97128.

Tom Draggett

Portola Valley teacher for 33 years

Tom Draggett, who taught in the Portola Valley School District for 33 years, was remembered by family and friends during a memorial service June 2 at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church.

He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease after his retirement eight years ago, and died May 24 at his Emerald Hills home, where he and his wife have lived for the past 27 years. He was 74.

Mr. Draggett began teaching in Portola Valley at Corte Madera School in 1965 and later moved over to Ormondale, where he settled into teaching fifth grade.

It was the talk of the school when Mr. Draggett and Linda Mueller, a first- and second-grade teacher at Corte Madera, returned from a weekend with wedding rings on their fingers, much to the astonishment of faculty and students. "No one knew we were dating," said his wife of 33 years.

"Tom loved teaching and his kids," said Ms. Draggett. "He was content with his life, and he bore his illness so valiantly."

Mr. Draggett enjoyed gardening and writing poetry, short stories and children's plays mainly linked to history. He would tell his stories to his sons and students -- stories about the adventures of a big frog named Walter.

His sons Tom and Jonathon adored their father, said Ms. Draggett. They decided he was an angel because he was always kind and patient and always watched over them, she said.

Mr. Draggett started and owned a painting business and became known as "the fussy painter." He painted many houses in Portola Valley and Redwood City during summer vacations.

Born in Fredonia, New York, Mr. Draggett graduated from Buffalo State University, where he also received a master's degree in education. He came to the Peninsula in 1964.

He is survived by his wife, Linda Draggett; sons Tom of Redwood City, Jonathan of Fremont, and Michael of Salina, Kansas; daughter Julie Pendarski of Orlando Florida; five grandchildren; two brothers; and a sister.

The family has suggested memorials be sent to Puerto Rico Bible College to support its missionary-training program, which was founded by a friend: Dr. Michael Casillas, P.O. Box 403, Bayamon, Puerto Rico 00960-0403.

Wayne Briggson

Hewlett-Packard executive

A memorial service will be held Friday, June 17, for Wayne Lee Briggson, a 47-year resident of Menlo Park, who died May 31. He was 72.

The memorial will take place at 2 p.m. in the courtyard of Little House Activity Center, 800 Middle Ave. in Menlo Park.

Mr. Briggson was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated from Washington University in that city. He served in the Korean War as a lieutenant junior grade with the U.S. Navy.

He moved to California in 1956, where he married Joan Greco. He worked for Hewlett-Packard for many years, retiring as controller. An investor and developer, Mr. Briggson had a number of hobbies, including horseback riding, hunting and fishing.

Mr. Briggson is survived by his wife, Joan, of Menlo Park; daughters Betsy Briggson of San Anselmo and Katey Briggson of Grass Valley; brother James Briggson of St. Louis; and close friend Christa Reinhardt of Menlo Park. He was preceded in death by his son, Matthew Briggson.

The family prefers donations to a favorite charity. Arrangements are under the direction of O'Connor's Menlo Colonial Chapel.

@mug:Edith Dickman Edith Dickman

Music lover

Edith M. Dickman, a 55-year resident of Atherton and Menlo Park, died June 8 at her home in Menlo Park. She was 96.

Ms. Dickman was born in Oakland and graduated from University of California, Berkeley, in 1932. She was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority.

Ms. Dickman's life was framed by her love of music, say family members. She sang in choral groups and played the piano. Until shortly before her death, she continued to take part in a two-piano group and take lessons from her longtime teacher, Bill Weir.

An inveterate walker, at age 90 she regularly walked from her home in Menlo Park to the Stanford Shopping Center, family members say.

For many years she was a volunteer with the Children's Health Council.

Ms. Dickman is survived by daughters Barbra Wood, Frances Dickman, Claudia Dickman and Sandra Feliciano; eight grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

The family prefers donations be made to the Children's Health Council, 650 Clark Way, Palo Alto, CA 94301; or to the Lucile Salter Packard Foundation for Children's Health, 770 Welch Road, Suite 150, Palo Alto, CA 94301.
Gaye Odom

Services will be held Wednesday, June 22, for Gaye N. Odom of Menlo Park, who died June 6 due to complications from a stroke. She was 94.

Services will begin at 4 p.m. at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 830 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park. A reception will follow.

Ms. Odom was born in Aberdeen, Washington. She moved to San Francisco in 1939 to work at the San Francisco World's Fair (Golden Gate International Exposition).

During World War II, she worked at the Naval Purchasing Office. She married Ivan Odom in Berkeley in 1947 and the couple resided in San Francisco. They moved to Menlo Park in 1961.

Ms. Odom worked for several years as a teaching assistant in the Sequoia Union High School District, serving mainly at Menlo-Atherton and Sequoia high schools. She was active in volunteer organizations and was a member of the Woodside-Atherton Auxiliary to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. She was also a longtime member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.

Ms. Odom is survived by her husband of 58 years, Ivan Odom; daughters Cheryl Thompson and Laurel Johnston; and three grandchildren.

The family prefers memorials to Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, the Allied Arts Guild, Pets in Need, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital or a favorite charity.

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