October 31, 1924 – June 8, 2018
Mrs. Vera Streig (nee Dodge) died peacefully in Valley Heights Convalescent Hospital on June 8, 2018 in Watsonville, California at the age of 93.
Vera is survived by her children, son James David and his wife Janice, son Frederick Mark, and son Eric Randall and his wife Debi; grandchildren Jeremy, Ashley, Brett, Courtney, Melissa, James, Charlie, and Casey; and her sister Henrietta Cooper. She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Stanley Dodge and Charles Dodge, husband Cdr. Frederick James “Big Jim”, son Richard Bruce, and her daughter-in-law Janece.
Vera was born on October 31, 1924 in Watsonville, CA to Leonard Carroll Dodge and Vera Adelaide Trafton. She graduated in 1943 from Liberty Union High School in Brentwood, CA. She attended nursing school at Mt. Zion Hospital in San Francisco, CA and was capped in January 1944, but retired from nursing after WWII to start a family. She married her husband Jim, the boy from across the railroad tracks from her family’s ranch. The two were wed in St. Augustine, Florida on July 6, 1944. Jim was a career Navy man and Ace pilot and their family moved all around the country, including the states of Virginia, Florida, Washington, Illinois, and Texas, and the territory of Hawaii, between the 1940s and 1960s, to finally settle down back home in Corralitos, CA in 1967. From 1947 through 1955 she gave birth to four sons, in whom she instilled a love of art, music, cooking, and antiquing, in contrast to her husband’s encouragement of hunting, fishing, sports, and history.
Vera was an accomplished painter and a vocalist in her church choir for many years. She was also a member of Eastern Star and the Watsonville Women’s Club. Her children and grandchildren remember her as a loving woman who encouraged them to enjoy life and nature and pursue their creative talents.
A memorial is scheduled for 2 pm on July 22, 2018 at Corralitos Community Church, 26 Browns Valley Road, Corralitos, CA with a reception to follow. Pastor Theo Meyer will officiate the ceremony. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Vera Streig’s life. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the organization of your choice. Condolences can be sent to her family at 200 Vía Del Sol, Watsonville, CA 95076. The family would like to thank Gloria, Lucy, and Pam amongst others, and the hospital staff at Valley Heights for their care and services.
