George Ziegler's Obituary
GEORGE CURTIS ZIEGLER March 11, 1930—October 23, 2019 George was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. By working several jobs, he was able to graduate from U. of Minnesota with a DDS, and then was called into the Air Force. He served as Captain for two years (1954-56) at Castle Air Force base in Merced where he had his first “go” at practicing dentistry. After his discharge, he went back to Minnesota for a brief time, and in January, 1957, he moved to California, setting up practice in a newly built office in Belmont. We met on a blind date, and two years later— August 6, 1960—we were married. His dream was to have a house with a view and an oak tree—he found that lot, and by 1962 our house was finished. We overlooked the Bay, with a view of Mt. Tamalpais to the north, Stanford to the south, and Mt. Diablo straight across. Shortly after the arrival of our 2nd child, we took a weekend away at Twain Harte. And true to form, George immediately found a realtor—and a lot—and proceeded to build a cabin which we enjoyed for 16 years. When our 3rd child turned 4, they all started skiing with us at Dodge Ridge. And, shortly after that, came a boat, camping, and waterskiing. In the meantime, we acquired a long-haired dachshund; and later, two golden retrievers, and lots of puppies. More spontaneous decisions produced a mobile home at Lake Berryessa, where we added windsurfing; a condo in Maui, taking up scuba diving; and nearing retirement in 1989, a condo in Palm Desert where golf was nearly a daily event. We also were able to travel quite a lot (over 30 countries), in addition to cruises and dive trips. George’s life was characterized by spontaneity and this just kept drawing me along, experiencing so much more than I could have ever imagined. He was always very generous with his family and many others; patiently teaching/ instructing in the sports he loved; showing discipline with daily exercise, and a good example of financial planning. He was also a great handyman, and always had a “project”. In May 2016 we made the move to Stoneridge Creek Retirement Community in Pleasanton after hearing our son’s words, “Would you rather make that decision together—or by yourself?” The (God’s) timing was perfect. We enjoyed the many amenities, wonderful food and new friends. As life became harder, we made another decision together: in June, George transferred to Creekview (the “more care” area). He received such compassionate care—and even more so in the 10 days with Hospice. His entire family, as well as dear friends, were with him during his last 3 days, sharing stories and words of love. In the early 70’s we both felt the need to get more serious about our faith, and began bible studies. This faith has continued to sustain us—“grace has brought us safe thus far, and grace will lead us home”. George is survived by his wife of 59 years, Carolyn; 3 children, Ginny (Jerry) Victor—Danville; Cathy (Mark) Burket—San Carlos; and Geordie (Sharon) Ziegler—Camas WA. 8 grandchildren: Chase and Makena Victor; Josh (April and our great-granddaughter, Everly), Zachary and Trevor Burket; Andrew, Brennan and KaiLi Ziegler. Also a sister, Geri (Harry) Ziegler—Rancho Mirage; 2 nieces, and a nephew.In lieu of flowers, you may choose to donate to:Journey to Freedom Foundation – PO Box 3344, Palm Desert, CA 92260Mark and Ruthie Stoscher – Alongside Ministries- PO Box 610, Langley, WA 98260Karen Sorenson – Bridges of Hope International, PO Box 6847 Santa Barbara, CA 93160Reception will follow services at Skylawn Funeral Home in the Vista reception room.
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