San Benito County native John William Melendy, 83, passed away
Feb. 6 in Soquel, Santa Cruz County, after a long illness.
San Benito County native John William Melendy, 83, passed away Feb. 6 in Soquel, Santa Cruz County, after a long illness.
He is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Catherine Coops Melendy; and by his children and their spouses, Deborah and Paul Norman of Corrales, New Mexico; Dorothy and Joe Nicholson of Santa Cruz; Karen and Al Melendy-Zahn of Ridgecrest; and James and Vicki Dutton Melendy of Soquel.
He is also survived by grandchildren John Paul Norman of Corrales; Emily and Hillary Nicholson of Santa Cruz; and Lisa, Gregory, and David Melendy of Soquel. He leaves many relatives and friends in San Benito County.
John was born March 28, 1921 to Henry Melendy II and Anna Guidinger Melendy in Hollister. He grew up on the family grain and cattle ranch in Bear Valley, 25 miles south of Hollister, near the Pinnacles National Monument.
John’s grandfather Henry Melendy I, a native of Wisconsin, migrated to California in 1864 and settled on the ranch in 1865, when he was 17 years old. Still in the family, the ranch has been home to five generations of Melendys.
The family of John’s mother Anna Guidinger settled in Hollister in 1908. Anna met her future husband while teaching at the Bear Valley School.
John and his late brothers Henry III and Walter Melendy attended the one-room Bear Valley School through the elementary grades. In addition to helping with the ranch work, he worked weekends as a guide at the Pinnacles National Monument. He was a 4-H member and was San Benito County’s first 4-H Club All-Star.
John graduated from Hollister High School, attended San Benito County Junior College, and in February of 1943 graduated from the University of California at Davis with a degree in Agricultural Education. At Davis he was a member of Alpha Zeta honor fraternity. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Navy and during WWII commanded a sub-chaser in the Pacific.
In 1946 John was hired by the University of California Agricultural Extension Service and the following year was assigned as a Farm Advisor to Santa Cruz County. There he oversaw livestock, poultry, dairy, field crops, and 4-H Club work.
John Melendy married Catherine (Cay) Coops on December 9, 1950, in the bride’s home town of Sonoma, California.
John was County Director of the Extension Service in Santa Cruz from 1955-1965. He retired from the Extension Service in 1976. He was chairman of Santa Cruz County 4-H Clubs, Inc. from 1976-1996. The organization maintained Camp Loma in the Santa Cruz mountains.
From 1959-1969 John served on the Santa Cruz City School Board, and from 1965-1989, he was owner-operator of the 75-acre Green Bough Christmas Tree Farm near Watsonville. Until his last illness, John was active in the Congregational Church of Soquel, where he held various offices. He was a lifetime member of the Farm Bureau.
Interment will be private at Willow Creek Cemetery in Paicines. Memorial services will be held 2:30pm Feb. 20 at the Congregational Church of Soquel. The family requests that memorial donations be made to the Congregational Church of Soquel, 4951 Soquel Drive, Soquel, California 95073; or to The Alzheimer’s Association, Santa Cruz County Chapter, 1777A Capitola Rd., Santa Cruz, CA 95062.
