Obituary of Dorothy Thompson Biddick

Dorothy T. Biddick passed away peacefully in Aptos, California on February 9, just days after celebrating her 90th birthday in the company of immediate family. A descendant of Gold Rush pioneers and early California settlers, Dorothy was born in San Francisco on February 4, 1922, the daughter of Dr. C.V. Thompson MD and Myrtle Larsen Thompson. She and her brother Leonard grew up in Lodi, where Dorothy attended local schools and graduated from Lodi High School in 1940. She enjoyed summer vacations at Camp Minkalo on Silver Lake, Amador County. Dorothy followed in her parents' footsteps by pursuing her higher education at the University of California, Berkeley, where she was active in the Sigma Kappa sorority and made friendships that were to last a lifetime. She earned her degree in 1944 and embarked on a career as an educator, teaching at public schools in Linden, Woodbridge and Truckee. In October 1948, Dorothy married Stockton native William "Bill" Biddick, Jr. at Morris Chapel on the campus of the College of the Pacific, Bill's alma mater. They established a home in Stockton, where they raised five children - Joan, Tom, John, Carolyn and Barbara. As Bill pursued a career in politics and the law, Dorothy managed a busy home while she remained active in community affairs and the Central United Methodist Church. Over the years, she served as a board member of the Community Center for the Blind and was an active member of the 19th Century Club and PEO. She volunteered as a docent at the Haggin Museum. In 1973, as her children began leaving the nest, Dorothy renewed her lifelong interest in education when she was appointed as a member of the San Joaquin County Board of Education. She was the first woman to serve on the Board. She served until 1990, winning reelection three times, and was twice elected Board President. The Dorothy Biddick School in French Camp, near Stockton, was named in honor of her distinguished public service. The Dorothy Biddick School is located on the site of the Mary Graham Children's Shelter which provides emergency shelter for abused or neglected children in San Joaquin County. Dorothy was a devoted wife to the love of her life, her husband Bill Biddick, and the matriarch of a large and growing family with whom she shared her love of the mountains, the seashore, books, music and the adventures of travel. Dorothy and Bill lived at 104 West Mariposa Avenue in Stockton for half a century, from 1955 to 2005, when they moved to O'Connor Woods in north Stockton. They moved to Aptos in December 2010 to be close to family. Dorothy is survived by her brother Leonard Thompson of Lodi, her husband Judge (retired) Bill Biddick of Aptos and her five children; Joan berg (Per) of Uppsala, Sweden, Tom Biddick (Amy) of Taipei, Taiwan, and Santa Cruz, John Biddick (Margie) of Aptos, Carolyn Biddick (Alisa) of Aptos and Barbara Breashears of Walnut Creek. She is survived by nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Her grandchildren are Emil berg (Maria), Christine Gibson (Jonas), Caroline berg (Bjrn), Ben Biddick, Will Breashears, Linnea Biddick, Claire Breashears, Samuel Biddick and Carson Biddick-Van Dissen. Her great-grandchildren are Alma berg, Sixten berg, Bill Gibson and Pella Gibson. A memorial service will be held in Stockton at a date to be determined. The family suggests that contributions in memory of Dorothy could be make to PEO or to the Mary Graham Children's Foundation, P.O. Box 96, French Camp, CA 95231 (marygrahamfoundation.org).