Virginia "Ginny" Ogden Dutra

Ginny passed away at 89 years of age on December 18, 2022 after a satisfying, happy, and fulfilling life. She is survived by her husband Al, her five adult children: Norman, Steven, Douglas, Mark, and Lori and extending to grandchildren, great grandchildren, and numerous relatives.

Born on April 22, 1933, she was the youngest of Harold and Blanche (Lambert) Ogden’s four children. The two older brothers entered the US Navy at the beginning of World War II while Ginny and her pre-teen age sister, Lucille, moved with their parents from Riverside CA, to the San Francisco Bay Area, eventually settling in Oakland.

After graduating from Fremont High School, Ginny enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, completing her Associate of Arts Degree in1953. There she met Al (Albert) Dutra, who upon graduating from Cal. was entering the Air Force as a Second Lieutenant with a one-year training assignment in Texas. Rather than wait for Al to complete his military training, they decided to get married and wed on September 12, 1953 then moved together to Harlingen, Texas. In 1956, the Dutra family returned to California’s San Francisco Bay Area, now with their first two boys. Over the next 6 years, the family grew to include five children: Lori being the youngest and only daughter. Ginny was involved in community activities and began a delightful interest in oil painting.

Al’s IBM transfer to Poughkeepsie, New York in 1964 provided a wonderful opportunity for the family to learn more about the Eastern part of the United States. Hooking up a tent trailer behind the family station wagon, the Dutra’s enjoyed exploring, seeing beautiful geography, and learning about American history. Multiple visits to Washington DC and a trip to the 1964 New York’s World’s Fair were combinations of sightseeing and recreation.

The family moved back to California in 1967, this time buying a Silicon Valley home in Mountain View. With an “impossibly energetic” handful of growing children, Ginny was working with Al in raising the family: there was all the schoolwork, the various children’s activities, developing values, showing love to one another, and sharing a houseful of unusual pets. While handling these challenges, Ginny found time to continue painting, she took some part-time jobs during the children’s teen-age years. Then went back to school to earn a certificate in Travel Careers at Foothill College. Ginny, from the ground up, built and operated her own travel business specializing in tours to the Azores and Portugal. Ginny and Al said that they would continue organizing and running tours as long as they were profitable and fun. It lasted from 1982 until 2013. In 2016, Ginny and Al moved to Roseville CA where three of their children’s families lived.

Over the years Ginny faced significant health problems. In September 2022 she underwent surgery and was hospitalized. After returning home, her health continued to decline, resulting in her passing on December 18, 2022.

The family will be planning a Celebration of Life to honor Ginny for a future date. Please do not send flowers at this time.

We will miss Ginny. She is in our hearts and memories forever.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.LambertFuneral.com for the Dutra family.