Obituaries
Arnold Lee Larson, retired surveying engineer
Courtesy of Arnold's family
Note: The following obituary appeared in the Ukiah Daily Journal on May 21.
Retired surveying engineer Arnold Larson (also known as Sonny) passed away on March 16 with family by his side at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley.
He was 92.
Arnold was born on Feb. 3, 1931, to Arvid and Caroline Larson in Portland, Oregon. He and his siblings Shirley, Harvey and Francis were raised in nearby Aurora.
Arnold served in the U.S. Navy in the Korean War and was honorably discharged with medals.
Arnold met the love of his life, JoAnn, while working for Caltrans in Clearlake. They married in 1958 and settled in Ukiah in 1968 to raise their four children: Daniel, James, Kathryn and Kenneth.
Arnold was a surveying engineer by trade and was a part of the Caltrans team that built U.S. Highway 101 from the Oregon border to Santa Rosa. He worked in Construction and was a part of the building up of Northern California.
Arnold was everyone's go-to guy. If you were curious about anything, just ask Arnold. He loved God and he believed Jesus was His Son. If you knew Arnold, you had a friend. He will be forever missed by many. Arnold and JoAnn were laid to rest on March 21 at the family plot in Lower Lake Cemetery.
Medha Mehta, retired staff services manager in District 4 Audiovisual/Graphics and Reprographics Services
Courtesy of Mehta's family
Note: The following obituary was shared earlier this year by District 4.
Medha Mehta, a retired staff services manager in District 4 Audiovisual/Graphics and Reprographics Services, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on March 27.
Medha received her bachelor’s degree in architecture from the Bombay University of India. She worked in the private sector for 15 years before joining Caltrans.
Medha began her career at Caltrans in 1991 as a delineator in Engineering Services and advanced her position as a senior delineator in 1993.
In 2001, she became the supervisor of Drafting Services in the Office of Engineering Services, Geotechnical Unit.
In 2003, she moved to the Division of Administration and supervised the Audiovisual, Graphics, and Reprographics branch. She enjoyed her leadership role and was an advocate for her staff.
Medha was a hands-on leader and a great mentor with a strong work ethic.
Medha worked in District 4 for over 24 years and retired in 2015.
Medha enjoyed spending her time in the company of friends and family. She was a baseball fan and regularly traveled to Arizona for spring training. She loved going to new places and extensively traveled with her husband, Tim, a retired engineer from Caltrans.
She led a life well-lived and took pride in her family’s success. Between trips and family gatherings, she spent time gardening, taking piano lessons and staying socially connected with District 4 colleagues. She was a loving and doting “nana” to her three grandchildren.
Medha is survived by her husband, Timir Mehta, son Salil, and daughter Namita and grandchildren, Maya, Malik and Shaan. She was a devoted wife, mother and Caltrans member and will be missed dearly.
Clifford A. Rice Jr., retired civil engineer
Courtesy of Clifford's family
Note: The following obituary appeared on the Cherokee Memorial website on March 9.
Clifford A. Rice Jr. died peacefully surrounded by his wife Carmen Rice, Stepson Adhemar Bonnetti (video call), stepdaughter Karen Bonnetti-Ramirez, and son-in-law Jorge Ramirez at St. Joseph's Hospital on March 9 in Stockton at the age of 78.
Cliff was born Dec. 30, 1944, to Aurora A. Marino Rice and Clifford A. Rice Sr. in Key West, Fla. He moved to Stockton at the age of 4 and since then made Stockton his home.
He was blessed with siblings, nephews, nieces, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Cliff graduated from Linclon High School in 1963. He went on to college at the University of Pacific, where he earned a degree in civil engineering.
He served in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam War and was awarded the National Defense Service Medal.
He started working at Caltrans in 1984 and retired in December 2009 after over 25 years of service.
Most of Cliff’s career at Caltrans was in Construction. He was the Construction senior engineer in Calaveras County. One of the projects he was most proud of was the Angels Camp Cal-4 Bypass.
Those who were fortunate to know him, found in him great support and a wealth of knowledge. He continued serving the public after his retirement as Dispute Resolution Board (DRB) member until 2021
He loved classic American muscle cars. He was proud and happy driving around his 1986 Buick and listening to the ’50s rock-and-roll.
His hobbies as a child included building model airplanes and ships as well as playing card games. He enjoyed jigsaw and crossword puzzles. Cliff began to play golf with his father and grandfather and continued until his health prohibited it.
He enjoyed watching Westerns, cop shows and classic movies, and was also an avid reader. Some of his favorites were “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” books and movies.
He was a loyal 49ers fan and looked forward to watching NFL games with his football buddies.
Another passion of his was coin collection. He was an active member of the Delta Coin Club and Stanislas County Coin Club. His contributions were significant as well as instrumental to the success of these clubs.
From all his many hobbies and pastimes, what Cliff enjoyed to most was spending time in the company of his two adorable Shih Tzus who he named Obi (short for Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Chewy (short for Chewbacca).
Ryan Bret Stiltz, senior bridge engineer
Headquarters photo
Senior Bridge Engineer Ryan Bret Stiltz, who was born on Jan. 17, 1972 in Fairfield, died on July 7 in Sacramento at the age of 51.
Ryan was an amazing colleague, teacher and friend,” fellow Senior Bridge Engineer Jason Chou wrote in an email to their colleagues on July 10. “I know everyone loved Ryan because of his down-to-earth personality. He had a great head on his shoulders. I know everyone who crossed paths with Ryan thought highly of him. Ryan was one of my best friends, and many of us thought the world of him.
"In many ways, Ryan Stiltz was like Captain America. Ryan had an amazing heart. Like a superhero, Ryan demonstrated empathy and kindness to others. He was genuinely a good person, a selfless kind soul. Ryan would always put others before himself. Ryan had strong morals. He sticks to his strong values, and he was never shy to admit when he is wrong. Like Cap, Ryan would bring the team together, and guide the PDT to engineering solutions in the best interest of each project.
"Ryan was inspiring and encouraging. Ryan was the one who motivated me to teach the Bridge Design Academy. He was the catalyst that made the Bridge Academy the success it is today. With our mindset of tackling our Caltrans succession planning, we have always looked multiple steps ahead to make sure we have strong future leaders who are passionate to teach the Bridge Design Academy, that one day the torch could be passed to the Next Gen.
"Together, let's keep our chins up high. Ryan would want us to continue to be the best version of ourselves. Keep the high level of integrity, dream and hopes for an amazing future through engineering and innovation. With great power, comes great responsibility. Like superheroes, we will continue to serve the society with our best abilities as civil engineers."
Ryan was predeceased by his daughter Emily. He is survived by his parents, Perry Lewis Stiltz III and Dianna Stiltz; his wife, Jennifer; his children, Jacob and A. Stiltz; and his brother, Perry Stiltz IV.