Obituaries
Dorothy Ponchetti Dies at 82; Founding Member of Indian Health Council
Ponchetti was a tribal elder of the Santa Ysabel Band of Diegueño Indians and lived her entire life on the Santa Ysabel Indian Reservation.
Dorothy Bailey Ponchetti was born on August 9, 1930 on the Santa Ysabel Indian Reservation and passed away peacefully on June 27, 2013. Dorothy was a tribal elder of the Santa Ysabel Band of Diegueño Indians and lived her entire life on the Santa Ysabel Indian Reservation. She attended the Volcan Indian School and was a proud alumna of the Sherman Indian Institute in Riverside, California.
Dorothy married and raised a family of four and was involved in the activities of the tribal community. One of her proudest achievements was being a founding board member of the Indian Health Council and remained active in Indian Health until she passed. She helped many tribal members who needed help with their medical services. Dorothy’s interests included reading the tabloids, the penny slots at the casinos, game shows, her pug dogs and her beloved Oakland Raiders.
Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband James E. “Sonny” Ponchetti and daughter Carole M. Ponchetti. Dorothy is survived by sons James E. “Bugs” Ponchetti, Jr. (Susan) and Charles P. “Goodie” Ponchetti and her daughter Heather Ponchetti Daly (Brian). She is loved and will be missed by many.
A visitation will be held at Bonham Bros. & Stewart Mortuary Chapel in Ramona on Friday, July 5, 2013 from 5 p.m.- 8 p.m. with the Rosary held at 6:30 p.m. Graveside services will be held at the Santa Ysabel Mission Indian Cemetery on Saturday, July 6, 2013 at 10 a.m.
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Bonham Bros. & Stewart Mortuary and Cremation Service is assisting the family.
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