Larry Eskew, loving husband, father, and grandfather passed away peacefully on December 28, 2018 at the age of 77 after a year-long battle with cancer. Larry was born on January 22, 1941 to Lee Roy and Dorothy Eskew on Sardine Creek in Gold Hill, Oregon. He was the youngest of six children.
During his years at Crater Lake High School, he developed a love for cars and drag racing that would continue throughout his life. After high school, he attended Oregon Technical Institute (OTI) but was… Read More » called to Army active duty where he spent two years. He returned to OTI to complete his training and then began work as a draftsman at Sandia Corp.
in Livermore, California. After answering an ad in a newspaper for overseas employment, Larry took a position in Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands where he spent six months as a draftsman and two years as a manager of the boat marina teaching sailing and water skiing and spending his recreation time scuba diving. Upon his return from Kwajalein in 1968, he moved to California to attend Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
It was during this time that he met the love of his life, Terrie (Phillips). They were married on June 7, 1969 in Pismo Beach, California. In 1972, after his graduation from Cal Poly with a degree in industrial engineering, Larry and Terrie moved to Santa Maria where he worked as an engineer at CBS records for nine years.
From 1981 until he retired in 2003, he was as an engineer for ITT at Vandenberg Airforce Base. His colleagues will always remember him for his strong work ethic, company BBQs, and his green dune buggy. Over the years, Larry took pleasure in giving back: he coached his son Bryan’s baseball team, was equipment manager for Orcutt American Little League, cub scout leader, and always volunteered his time to BBQ for fundraisers.
In his retirement, he bought the street rod of his dreams: a 1933 Ford Tudor Sedan. He served as president of the Bent Axles Car Club for seven years. As club president, he moved the car show venue to Old Orcutt, and arranged for the club’s participation in supporting many charitable organizations including AmpSurf, the Food Bank of Santa Barbara County, Boys and Girls Club, Salvation Army, and Cruzin’ for Life.
Larry was always the go-to-guy if you needed something fixed or built, or when the neighborhood kids needed air for their bike tires. He could build and repair anything, always doing so with great attention to detail; to him, anything worth doing, was worth doing right. He enjoyed camping, fishing, water-skiing, and snow-skiing with his children and friends, but he was happiest just being in his workshop.
His grandkids brought him joy to the very end. Larry is survived by his wife of 49 years, Terrie Eskew, his children Bryan Eskew (Elaine) of Santa Maria, and Amy Baker (Brian) of Bellingham, Washington; his grandchildren Benjamin and Addison Baker, and Fiona and Maeve Eskew; his sisters Donna Johnson (Don) of Central Point, Oregon, and Beth Ness (Doug) of Trail, Oregon; and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents Lee Roy and Dorothy Eskew (Perkins), and his brothers Duane, Gerald “Jake,” and Roland Eskew.
A memorial service will be held January 6, 2019 at the Santa Maria Elks Lodge, 1309 N. Bradley Rd. , at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Dignity Health Hospice, Santa Maria, California.
If you found any mistakes, or you would like to add/remove to this obituary, please contact us by email: info@obituary.memorial. We never ask money for this.
