Ralph and Eileen Opitz died together on Dec. 19, 2006 at home. Residents of Lake County for the past 28 years, they resided in Lower Lake. They had been together since 1971.
Ralph was born Ralph Emory Opitz, on March 17, 1942 in San Rafael, was formerly of Marin County. He served in the Army and later worked as a maintenance supervisor for 20 years for the Konocti Unified School District. He was an avid hunter and fisherman and will be remembered as a loving husband and father.
Eileen was born Eileen Ellen Lake, on July 24, 1928, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. She worked as a legal secretary for Leary & Lake Investigators of San Francisco and other law firms for 30 years. She loved to collect things, to sew and do scrapbooks and will be remembered for being a great mom and grandma.
Ralph and Eileen are survived by their daughter, Diane Ambrocio and her husband ,Jose, of Hood River, Ore.; son, Dan Tiedemann and his wife, Lisa, of Virginia Beach, Va.; eight grandchildren, Dennis, Heather, Jillianne and Tony Wagner and Jesse, Chicoby and Richard Ambrocio all of Hood River, and Haley and Lisa Tiedemann both of Virginia Beach; and three great-grandchildren, Domenic Lane, Ashley Wagner and Cassandra Karns – all of Hood River. Ralph is also survived by his sister, Elaine Corvin of Huntsville, Ala.; and Eileen leaves behind two brothers, Melvin Lake of Texas and Vernon Lake and his wife, Judy, of Iowa.
A Memorial Service will be held to honor and remember Ralph and Eileen at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17 at Jones & Lewis Clear Lake Memorial Chapel, 16140 Main St. in Lower Lake. At a later date, they will be laid to rest, together, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.
Donations may be made on their behalf to Hospice Services of Lake County, 1717 So. Main St., Lakeport, CA 95453.
Arrangements entrusted to Jones & Lewis Clear Lake Memorial Chapel, Lower Lake.
Please sign the guest book at www.record-bee.com, then click obituaries.
(Published in the Record-Bee on Saturday, January 13, 2007.)
