Mollie Dent passed peacefully at her home in San Jose at the age of 71 after a 6-year battle with cancer. Born in Downey, California, she was the beloved first daughter of Betty and Thomas Dent. Mollie is now reunited with her loving parents and her husband, George Pettit. She is survived by her younger sister, Sherri, her stepson, Michael, and her son, James Pettit.

The family moved to Santa Clara, where Mollie attended primary school. She demonstrated intelligence and wit from an early age. Mollie graduated in 1974 from San Jose State University before pursuing a law degree from UC Law, San Francisco. After practicing law in Livermore and San Jose, Mollie moved to Juneau, Alaska to combine her work with her love of the outdoors. In Alaska, she worked for the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, helping to protect many wild spaces like Admiralty Island and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. While in Juneau she also married George Pettit in May of 1981, whom she met on a Sierra Club hike. Mollie and George moved to Dallas, TX in 1983 where she gave birth to her son. In 1987, they moved back to settle in San Jose where she began her long career working for the San Jose City Attorney’s Office.

Mollie was a devoted mother and a diligent attorney. She enjoyed going to the theater, camping all across the United States, and traveling to Great Britain and Europe. In the Bay Area she loved hiking, skiing, gardening, and was an avid reader. She developed strong life-long bonds with her many friends, coworkers, and caregivers who have all given tremendous support to her in the last few years.

A memorial service and celebration of life will be held at Vasona Lake County Park in Los Gatos on May 5th. If you wish to make a gift to commemorate her life, please consider Doctors Without Borders, Earth Justice, Playful People Productions and Hearts & Minds Activity Center.