Richard S. Drake

Rich died peacefully in his sleep at Kaiser Hospital, Redwood City. He had lived in Redwood City for 15 years.

Rich was born in San Francisco. He was the fifth of six children born to Martha and Richard (Dick) Drake. He and his siblings: Sr. Mary “Peggy” Richard, CSJ, (Deceased), Geraldine “Sissy” Drake, Elizabeth “Teen” Ladoceur (Tom), Barbara “Ba” Drake and Michael “Mike” Drake (Patricia) all grew up in the Richmond District. Rich spent much of his younger years playing football at Mountain Lake Park and hiking through the Presidio. His years in the Richmond District always stayed with him. Whenever anyone left the house even after 50 years, he always cautioned them to bring a coat as “you never know how the weather may change!”

Rich joined the Marine Corps on February 10, 1965 when he was 17. He served with the First Marine Division. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam. The first tour in Chu Lai and the second tour in Da Nang. He was discharged in December 1968.

He started his career with PG&E on May 31, 1974. He worked there in various departments for 35 years. He retired in 2009.

Rich and Linda raised their three sons, Michael Sean Colgan (deceased), Kevin Colgan (Sarah Shapiro) and Patrick Drake (Kelsey) in South San Francisco. They shared his passion for sports and he never missed any of their games.

After his retirement in Redwood City, he enjoyed gardening or just sitting in the yard watching the birds.

He was the adored “Poppy” to Riley Colgan, Rhys Colgan and Aiden Drake. He loved spending time with them and watching their achievements.

He is survived by numerous nieces and nephews as well as several grandnieces and grandnephews. He kept up on their lives and loved seeing them at each family gathering.

He is sorely missed by Lady, his faithful dining companion.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Matthias Catholic Church, 1685 Cordilleras Road, Redwood City, California. A Celebration of Life will follow at 11:30 a.m. at Angelica’s, 863 Main Street, Redwood City, California.

Interment will take place on Friday, October 30, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Cross Cemetery.