Phoebe Claire Dinsdale

Phoebe Claire Dinsdale

1934 - 2022

Our dear mother Phoebe Claire Dinsdale passed away peacefully at home on July 22, 2022.

Phoebe was born in Wisconsin on March 24, 1934, to Harlan and Vivian Hopp. The family moved to California during World War II, first to Los Angeles and later to the Napa Valley, where she attended PUC Prep. In 1955 she met and married James Hugh Dinsdale. They had three children: Karyn, Gordon, and Grant.

She began working at Napa State Hospital in the mid-1960s and soon earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from Sonoma State University. As an RN, she treasured working with patients and made countless friends amongst her coworkers throughout her 30-year career.

Phoebe loved to entertain, and many of her dinner parties are the stuff of legend. Especially memorable were years of Wednesday after-work volleyball games, when friends from the hospital would gather to play, laugh, and socialize late into the evening (making sure, however, to show up to work the next morning - Phoebe was the boss!)

Traveling was Phoebe's passion. She loved the red rocks of the Southwest and visited 49 of the 50 states. She filled the pages of her passport in the latter half of her life, setting foot on every continent, with a special fondness for Africa. She loved hiking, river rafting, gardening, the Giants, Agatha Christie novels, martinis, and having an obnoxiously good time in general.

One way in which she expressed her compassion for others was through her home. Many a family friend in distress have found a place to stay at the Dinsdale abode, whether it be for a day, a semester, or even a year or two. And she housed and cared for her elderly parents and brother Robert, who had Down syndrome, in the last years of their lives.

Phoebe is survived by her sons: Gordon and Grant Dinsdale; daughter-in-law, Jeanette Valassopoulos; grandchildren: Sebastian and Chloe Dinsdale; brother and sister-in-law: Ronald and Martha Hopp; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Phoebe was predeceased by her husband, James; daughter, Karyn; brother, Robert; parents: Harlan and Vivian; as well as her dear friend and companion of many years, Roger Elton.

Phoebe will be missed by all who knew her.

A special thank you to the kind and attentive care given by caregivers Karen Lassalle, Theresa Alfaro, as well as the staff of Kaiser Hospice.

There will be a gathering of friends and family on Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. Please email rememberPHOEBED@gmail.com for more information.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Phoebe's name to the Sierra Club.