Mary Dolores Dragan

Mary Dolores Dragan, 92, of Santa Maria, passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 7, 2024.

Dolores was born on August 3, 1932 to Clarence and Eleanore Meder in Rochester, New York. After Dolores graduated from Bellarmine-Jefferson High School in Burbank, CA in 1950, she went on to study journalism at Woodbury College in Los Angeles, where she was the associate editor for Woodberries, the college newspaper, and was a member of the Woodbury Press Club.

In 1956, Dolores met Joseph (Joe) Dragan during a polka dance in Fontana, California. They were married in 1957 and went on to have six children, Mitzi, Joe, Dan, Jim, Larry, and Jeanne. Dolores and Joe moved to Santa Maria in 1963 and resided in the same home in the Oak Knolls area for most of that time.

A very creative person with a penchant for vibrant colors, Dolores was well known for her multihued floral impressionistic paintings and rural landscapes. An avid reader, she never met a mystery novel she didn't enjoy. Dolores also loved to sing and could often be found singing her favorite songs in Spanish and English as she worked around the house. Her greatest joys in life revolved around her family whom she loved dearly, her Catholic faith, and her love of the Lord. A short trip to a casino was also never turned down. She worked for many years in retail, primarily at Gottschalk's in the Santa Maria Town Center, where her natural gregariousness aided in her success as a salesperson and coworker.

Dolores was predeceased by her husband, Joe, granddaughter, Kaela, son-in-law, Karl Sarajian, and her brother, Richard Meder, CMF. She is survived by her children, Mitzi Sarajian of Vandenberg Village, Joe (Laura) Dragan of Mission Viejo, Dan (Cherie) Dragan of Escondido, Jim (Kim) Dragan of Chino Hills, Larry (Karen) Dragan of Santa Maria, and Jeanne (John) Demko of Santa Maria, and grandchildren, Jennifer Dragan of Mission Viejo, Christie Dragan of Boston, Kellen Dragan of Escondido, Kylee (Suren) Verdian of Vandenberg Village, Rick Dragan of Corona, Morgan Dragan of Irvine, Joey Dragan of Mission Viejo, Jared Sarajian of Chula Vista and Mike Dragan of Chino Hills.

The Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church in Santa Maria, on December 30, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. It will be preceded with a Rosary at 10:30 a.m. She will be interred with her husband at the Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization she regarded highly because of their assistance to veterans wounded in service to the United States.