Longtime Santa Barbara County farm advisor, county director, and community servant passed away at the age of 98.
On Monday, June 22, 2020, George Erle Goodall, loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather passed away peacefully at the age of 98. George was born April 20, 1922, in Los Angeles, CA, to Samuel Erle and Martha (Schildmeyer) Goodall. He grew up on a ranch in the west San Fernando Valley, in what was then known as Winnetka (now Canoga Park). He graduated from Canoga Park High School and attended UCLA, where he received his Bachelors’ degree in Agricultural Engineering. Over a decade and a half later, he furthered his education by taking his wife, Barbara, and son, Stephen, with him on a sabbatical to attend the University of Wisconsin, Madison, earning a Masters’ Degree in Agricultural Economics.
George had a long and distinguished career in agriculture. He started as Farm Advisor in Ventura County, but was most known for his 40-year service to Santa Barbara County, as Farm Advisor and later as County Director of Cooperative Extension. George’s areas of specialty were avocados, citrus, walnuts, and wine grapes. He conducted research, wrote and published nearly 30 articles about cultivation, disease, and water conservation, and became a sought-after consultant for his knowledge.
George was instrumental in implementing the Williamson Act in Santa Barbara County and, in 1972, received the Award of Honor from the California Avocado Society. Among many industry honors, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the California Chapter of the Soil Conservation Society of America, the Commendation Award from the Soil Conservation Society of America, “Man of the Year” award from the California Avocado Society, “Ag Person of the Year” award from the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau, and special recognition from the Calavo Growers of California.
George was instrumental in helping farmers establish avocados as a major orchard crop in the southern coastal portion of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Through his research acumen, consultant work, and industry affiliations, George also successfully contributed to the avocado industry’s growth worldwide, with particular influence in the Mediterranean, Latin America, and Africa.
George served his community by belonging to the Santa Barbara Rotary Club for many years and was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Barbara.
In 1974, George served as President of the Santa Barbara Rotary Club. In 1992 and again in 2014, George received the Rotary Club’s Paul Harris Fellow award. In 2018 he researched and wrote a centennial history of the club entitled Remembering 100 Years of the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara.
He joined the First Presbyterian Church in the 1950s when he first came to Santa Barbara. Over the past seven decades, George faithfully served “First Pres.” His service as an Elder, longtime choir member, and historian were steadfast. He presented his final contribution, a written document of its 150-year history, to the church in 2019.
He lived a long, productive, and happy life, surrounded by love. He was married to Barbara Jane Helter Goodall until her passing in 2006. George and Barbara had one child, Stephen C. Goodall. George married for a second time to Jeanne L. Warden in 2011. Throughout his life he enjoyed traveling and spending time with family and friends.
In the later years of George’s life, he took a keen interest in genealogy and invested time and travel in chronicling the family’s history in writing. Even in his 90s, he was undaunted in his quest for documenting family roots. At age 92, George and his wife Jeanne rented a car in Scotland and drove 1,000 miles in the rain, on the opposite side of the road, to fill in the missing pieces of his paternal grandmother’s lineage.
George was preceded in death by his parents Erle and Martha, his sister Marian (Garrett) Gard, and his wife of 57 years, Barbara Jane Helter Goodall. He is survived by his second wife, Jeanne Goodall; his son Stephen (Steve) Goodall (Jane); grandchildren Emily O’Gorman (Cheyne); Jason Goodall; and great-grandchildren Lyndee O’Gorman and Jaxton O’Gorman.
The family will hold an in-person celebration of George’s life when it is safe to gather at the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Barbara. Memorial contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Santa Barbara, 21 E Constance Ave, Santa Barbara, CA 93105.
