Mathilda Olmsted

Mathilda "Mahtee" Olmsted - A centenarian and Petaluma resident for over 75 years, Mrs. Mahtee Olmsted passed away peacefully in her home on December 31, 2009, after a brief period of failing health. Mrs. Olmsted was one of the first women to play a leadership role in Petalumaâ??s city government, serving as the secretary of the city Planning Commission during the preparation of Petalumaâ??s master plan of 1948. From 1959 until 1972, she served on the Sonoma County Civil Service Commission. Earlier, Mrs. Olmsted served as the youngest president of the Petaluma Womenâ??s Club. Mrs. Olmsted was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, John Olmsted Jr., and by her four brothers, Fred, John, George, and Walter Schlichter. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth and Marvin Ashman of Petaluma, and her son and daughter-in-law, John III and Eileen Olmsted of Pittsburgh, PA. She also leaves three grandchildren, Dr. Jennifer Olmsted and her husband Marco Leona, Dr. Maureen Olmsted and her husband Michael Rosenberg, and Stuart Olmsted and his wife Sharon Achilles, and four great-grandchildren, Dylan and Audrey Olmsted and Cosimo and Adriano Leona. Aunt of Stephen Olmsted of Petaluma, Norma Calender of Carlsbad, Robert Schlichter of Thousand Oaks, Allen Schlichter of Anaheim,Gary Schlichter of Santa Rosa, Steve Schlichter of Brentwood, and William Schlichter of Murrieta. A Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. at the United Church of Christ, 825 Middlefield Drive, Petaluma, CA. Memorial donations may be made to the Organ Fund of the Petaluma United Church of Christ or to the World Wildlife Fund. Mrs. Olmsted founded her own business, Petaluma City Hostess, which welcomed newcomers to Petaluma for over 20 years. She was also active in the Women's Fellowship in the Congregational Church, now United Church of Christ, and she taught Sunday School for many years.