Hayward “Beau” Hutchinson Gatch Jr. 92, of Santa Barbara, California went to be with his Lord and be rejoined with his soul mate/wife Olive “Bunny” Colfelt Gatch on September 30, 2020. Beau passed peacefully at his Montecito home after a broken hip let him know that his time had come. In the end he repeatedly and contentedly said, “Don’t feel bad for me. I’m 92. I’ve had a wonderful life. I have three great children. I had an incredible wife. It is time. I’m ready to be home in heaven and be with the Lord.”
Beau was born in St. Louis, Missouri on July 12, 1928, a city where his relatives have deep roots. His great-great grandfather Colonel John R. O’Fallon, was at the time one of St. Louis’s leading businessmen and benefactors. Explorer William Clark, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, is another relative.
Beau attended St. Louis Country Day School, St Mark’s boarding school and Yale University. While Bunny was attending a friend’s debutante party in St. Louis, she met Beau and they married while Beau was still at Yale.
Bunny’s father Herbert P. Colfelt, a founding member of the Santa Barbara Four Seasons Biltmore Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club, moved from Philadelphia to Santa Barbara to pursue polo. Bunny was born on June 6, 1929 in Santa Barbara.
Beau liked to tell a true story that when he was a teenager his parents took him on a family vacation to Santa Barbara. While staying at the original Miramar Hotel his eyes widened when he saw a beautiful young girl riding her horse on the beach. Indeed, on her horse Bunny used to cross the road, which is now Highway 101, from her house in Montecito and ride along that same beach. They never met during that family visit, but was this a fortuitous moment?
After Beau and Bunny married, they built a home in Old Mystic, Connecticut. The home was on fifty acres and included a pond and a swamp. It was the perfect environment for various pets, and farm animals and for three little Gatches to play in and explore. In summertime the family relished staying at Beau’s parents’ summer home in the idyllic coastal town of Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
After Beau graduated from Yale he took a job at General Dynamics Electric Boat Co. in Groton, Connecticut. His responsibilities included hiring engineers for the construction of submarines. His career path eventually had several twists and turns. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, he owned a business selling bomb shelters. He became a school teacher in Woodstock, Vermont and then again in Santa Barbara.
Beau was involved with many wonderful organizations, a few of which were: president of a Rotary Club Chapter, president of Woodstock’s Booster Club, high school ski team coach, board member of the Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club, co-chairman of the Semana Nautica Sports Festival, and volunteer in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. His hobbies and interests were endless and he always had passions he was pursuing. Over his life they included star gazing, providing habitat for water fowl, snorkeling, working on the land, surf cast fishing, skiing, model trains, book reading, learning Spanish, movies, dogs, camping, kayaking, body surfing, studying the stock market, knot tying, frisbee throwing, ice cream, traveling adventures and much more.
One of those many traveling adventures took Beau and Bunny on a peace march in the Soviet Union. Other adventures took them on months-long, remote camping trips to Baja, Mexico. Starting in the 1960s they began their beloved trips to the Caribbean where they spent much of their time snorkeling. As each other’s constant companion, they made a special team. Great love, a shared sense of humor and occasional flying sparks were part of the magic that kept them inseparable.
One of Beau’s greatest passions was the ocean. Not just looking at it but swimming in it. And not just a dunk, but a real swim. At age 55 he swam around the island of Manhattan. It took over nine hours. Another time he swam for several hours from the lighthouse at Watch Hill, Rhode Island to Fishers Island, New York. Then there was the relay swim he organized and participated in – from the Channel Islands to the Santa Barbara mainland, which included swimming through the night.
Beau wasn’t shy about talking about his swims and other adventures, but those who knew Bunny and Beau well, knew Bunny could hold her own on any ocean swim or other physical adventure. In the lap pool, theirs was usually a friendly competition. During Masters Swimming National Championship events Beau was pleased with his many top ten finishes. Meanwhile, Bunny was very pleased with her many top three finishes. In later years Bunny liked to say that if she were still competing, she could finish first in her age category in all National Championship Masters Swimming competitions – because all of her competitors were dead.
Although Bunny, Beau’s constant swimming partner, passed away in 2017, Beau continued to swim in the Coral Casino lap pool until Covid-19 occurred.
Beau is survived by his sister, Mrs. George Y. “Aunt Kay” Wheeler, III of Hobe Sound, Florida, and his three children; Georgia Allison “Choo Choo” Rutherford of Santa Barbara, California; Peter Gilman “Pie” Gatch of Park City, Utah and Hayward Hutchinson “Lumpo” Gatch, III of Avondale, Rhode Island. Beau’s sister, Caroline G. “Aunt Foxy” Upthegrove of St. Louis, Missouri passed in 2014.
Beau and Bunny gave their children an adventurous spirit and zest for life. Their children are grateful to have had wonderful and unique parents and feel fortunate to have had their parents’ loving friendship, shared good times and fun company for so many years.
Per Beau’s request, and due to Covid-19, no memorial service is planned.
