Julia Drane Becker

Julia Drane Becker, 88, of Santa Maria passed away May 2, 2009 at Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria. Julia was born December 27, 1920 in Woodlake, California to Eugene N. and Victoria (Coombs) Drane. She grew up in the Exeter area, attending local schools and graduated from Visalia Junior College (now known as the College of the Sequoias). She worked for the Health Department in Visalia and was a secretary for New York Life in Santa Maria for twenty-five years. Julia was an expert seamstress, knitter and needle pointer. Her passion was genealogy, exploring and researching her family tree. Subsequently she was a member of many organizations, including the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Colonists, the Huguenot Society and the Society of Maureen Duvall Descendants. Julia was preceded in death by her husband of sixty-one years, Arthur M. Becker, Jr. of Santa Maria, California, in 2003. She is survived by daughters Patricia Keys and her husband Tom of Escondido, CA and Kathryn Burridge and her husband Bob of Arroyo Grande; grandsons, Brent Keys and his wife Diana of Oceanside, California, Commander Ryan Keys, USN and his wife Courtney of Orange Park, Florida and Julian Martinez and his wife Meghan M. of Chicago, Illinois; and great grandchildren Samuel and Nathan Keys of Orange Park, Florida, Caden Keys and Lexi Alvillar of Oceanside, Aiden and Sophia Burridge of Santa Barbara and Kylan La Greca of Reno, Nevada. Her sisters, Beulah Brown and Mary Meling and their families reside in Visalia, California. Graveside services will be held Wednesday, May 13, 2009, at 11:00 am in the Visalia Public Cemetery with the Reverend Karl Schafer of the First Presbyterian Church officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Capt. Henry Sweetser Chapter, National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, may be made in Julia's memory by writing NSDAR, c/o Nancy Neitzel, 2438 Country Club Village Drive, Santa Maria, CA 93455. Arrangements under the care of Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary