John Joseph Dee

John passed away at home peacefully in Petaluma after a long illness with his loving wife at his side. He was born in Springfield, Mass. to Richard and Helen Dee. He, his four brothers and two sisters grew up in Longmeadow, Mass. He attended Brown University in Providence, R.I., earning a degree in International Relations in 1951. John moved to San Francisco in the mid 1950's working in administrative and managerial positions for Blue Cross, then Blue Shield, where he met his wife, Mary Patricia Culligan, whom he married in 1969. He left Blue Shield in 1968 to become the Executive Director of the ILWU-PMA Welfare Fund, the position he held until his retirement in 1994. John and Pat and their two sons, Andrew and Michael, lived in Oakland until 1980, when they moved to Petaluma. Besides his family, John's lifelong interests included golf, baseball, classical music, theater, and he was a talented pianist. John is survived by his wife, Pat, and his sons, Andrew and Michael, his granddaughters Cassandra and Crystal, and his three remaining siblings, Mary, Jim and Carol, and many friends and former colleagues as well as an extended family who will sorely miss his warmth, charm, intelligence and always ready wit. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, June 8th at 10:00 am at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 35 Liberty Street, Petaluma, CA. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in John's memory can be made to St. Anthony's Foundation of San Francisco (http://www.stanthonysf.org).