Wallace Drotts

1928 - 2022

Wallace (Wally) Drotts
July 6, 1928 - December 2, 2021
Sacramento, California - Wally passed away peacefully at age 93, surrounded by family members. He was born on the farm in Viking, Minnesota, the first of five children, to David and Florence Drotts. His first years were spent on the farm and then the family moved to Thief River Falls, MN when he started high school. It was there that he started thinking about becoming a missionary or minister. His grandfather had been a minister. After high school, he attended Moody Bible College in Chicago, then Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN, where he also had his first church, Kasota Mission Covenant Church, at the same time as attending college (this helped to pay college fees). Then back to Chicago to North Park Seminary, the Evangelical Covenant Church Seminary, also serving a church, Cuyler Covenant Church, at the same time. After graduating from seminary, he extended his education by going to Edinburgh, Scotland to study for one year at the Presbyterian Seminary there. In 1958 he moved to Oakland, CA where he served the Oakland Covenant Church and then later began the transfer to the Presbyterian Church. He had to take two classes at San Francisco Theological Seminary (later, in 1974, he earned his Doctor of Ministry there.) It was in Redwood City, CA that he met his wife-to-be, Jean, and they were married in 1960.
Starting in 1961, Wally served the following churches in California: First Presbyterian Church in Fresno, Visalia First Presbyterian Church, San Rafael Presbyterian Church as Interim, and Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church from where he retired. After retirement, he served at Oakmont Community Church in Santa Rosa for four years, sharing two Sundays a month with a friend from Gustavus Adolphus, in Bodega Bay for four years sharing with another minister every other month, and then finally part-time at Fremont Presbyterian Church in Sacramento. Wally also enjoyed reading, golfing, jogging, and traveling in the U.S. and overseas.
Wally is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jean; son, David Drotts (Lorrie); daughter, Melinda Heim; daughter Heidi Taghavian (Alex); eleven grandchidlren and three great-grandchildren. He was proceeded in death by his parents, two of his sisters, Evonne Peterson and Carol Woetzel, and his daughter, Susan Drotts Gontarski.
A Celebration of Life is scheduled for March 12, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. at Fremont Presbyterian Church, 5778 Carlson Drive, Sacramento. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Fremont Presbyterian Church or Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church.