Peggy Dias

February 14, 1936 - February 22, 2023

Peggy Louise Dias RDH, MFCC

Peggy Louise Dias (nee Peggy Louise Strass), born February 14, 1936 (Valentine’s Day), died February 22, 2023.

Peggy was born in Reichenberg, Czechoslovakia to Edith and Otto Strass. In September 1939 the family immigrated to the United States in order to flee form the Holocaust. En route to the United States they traveled through the Netherlands where Peggy’s younger sister Vivian was born.

Upon arrival in New York the family settled in Forest Hills where Peggy attended public school and graduated from Forest Hills High School. She attended Boston University, N.Y.U. and Columbia University School of Dental Medicine. She graduated from Columbia with a RDH (registered dental hygienist) degree and also a Masters in Dental Hygiene Education as well. She was employed by a prominent dentist at Central Park South in NYC before deciding to follow her sister, Vivian, out to the Bay Area in 1965. She answered an ad in the New York times for a teaching position at Diablo Valley College in their dental hygienist program. She was immediately hired and taught there for a year. She later gained employment by 3 different dentists in Oakland. She rented an apartment in Berkeley. She was a very busy hygienist and very proficient as well.

After a year she decided to move to San Francisco in the area known as Twin Peaks where she rented an apartment. She had a very busy professional life and social life as well. During a social event she met her future husband Dr. Fred Dias, a prominent endodontist who had his dental practice in San Francisco. Fred was also an East Coast transplant with European roots. His family was from the Netherlands and had left Europe to flee from the Holocaust. They had very much in common. They were both born under the sign of Aquarius, both spoke German, both were in the dental professional, both loved the theater and especially Broadway, both loved European culture and cuisine. They were married on October 12, 1969 at the Stephen B. Wise synagogue in New York by her cousin Rabbi Eddi Klein. They rented a penthouse apartment in the Marina district of San Francisco. It had a large balcony with a sweeping view from the Golden Gate clear over to the East Bay. Fleet Week was a special treat. After 2 years when the rent was raised, they bought a lovely home in Burlingame complete with an Olympic sized swimming pool which Fred maintained. They had many pool parties and BBQ’s for their friends and Peggy was a perfect hostess. They loved entertaining their friends on warm summer afternoons in their spacious backyard. They lived there for 40 years.

Not able to have a child of their own they decided to adopt. In 1976 Steven came into their lives. As the years passed it turned out that Steven had ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder)) and was Dyslexic as well. Peggy became very interested in the field of children with learning disabilities and studied all the information that was available at the time. She started the San Mateo chapter of the American Association for Learning Disabled Children. The outcome of this was that she became an advocate for their son Steven and wound up writing a special book to help other parents with the same or similar problems. “Diamonds in the Rough” An Infancy To College Guide On the Learning Disabled Child was published in 1989 by Slossen Educational. Nothing on this subject was available before this.

During the Burlingame years (1970 – 2010) the couple owned 4 Standard Poodles, 5 cats, and 2 canaries. Not all at the same time. Peggy had a Standard Poodle as a pet when she was a child and loved the breed. After getting their first poodle, Laska, an apricot female, Peggy became an expert dog trainer. She and Laska belonged to 2 dog training clubs at the same time. Peggy entered the dog into AKC (American Kennel Club) obedience trials. Laska attained every title that the AKC could award for obedience before her third birthday. That award is called “Utility Dog.” Peggy and Laska put on obedience performances until Laska was 14 years old, the year she died. A dog show judge remarked to Peggy “a Standard Poodle is like a Labrador with a college education.” Their other Poodles were trains as well but Peggy never competed in dog shows after Laska passed away.

Peggy and Fred enjoyed travel, especially after Fred retired. Most of their first trips were to Hawaii, which started while Fred was still in practice. There were many dental education courses given in Hawaii, so the couple took advantage of being able to travel there and learning at the same time. After retirement, the couple continued their trips with Hawaii as a favorite destination and covering all of the islands. They went there at least 40 times and knew each island very well. They also traveled to Tahiti, which was their best snorkeling adventure. Trips to Europe and Africa were highlights as well since both Peggy and Fred had roots in Europe. Fred was from the Netherlands and Peggy from Czechoslovakia. Both still had living relatives in each country whom they visited. Peggy had family in Australia as well, and they were able to cruise “down under” and reunite with her Aussie family. While they lived in Rossmoor they became good friends with Ralf Parton, a retired professor of art history. Ralf conducted trips all over the world, usually with a slant on art. Peggy and Fred went on many of his trips to Europe and the East Coast, as well. Also, Ralf conducted photo safaris to East Africa which were expertly managed. Peggy and Fred went on one of these very memorable trips to Kenya, and it was the highlight of their travels.

When they moved to Rossmoor, they joined the Railroad Roundhouse, the International Club, Primetime Couples, Hawaii State Club, the Dixieland Club, an TGIF. Their life in Rossmoor was active and music concerts were numerous also. They also enjoyed yearly subscriptions to the Lesher Performing Arts Center in walnut Creek and other local theater groups as well.