Eric Stanleigh Warner

WARNER, Eric Stanleigh - October 31, 1912 - September 4, 2005 A California native, born October 31, 1912. Eric spent his early childhood in the East Bay, attending schools in Berkeley and Piedmont, followed by high school at the Thacher School in Ojai. He studied at Yale University, where he rowed with the varsity crew and graduated with a degree in chemical engineering. Following his graduation, he returned to California. In 1936 he married Margaret (Peggy) Bacon, from New Britain, CT, who he had met while he was at Yale and she at Vassar, in Pasadena, CA. Shortly thereafter he took a position with Standard Oil of California, and the two relocated to the Bay Area. A Berkeley resident for over 65 years, he spent his career with Standard Oil (now Chevron), first as an engineer in refinery design, then as the head of that department, and finally as chairman of the Board of Engineers, until his retirement at the age of 60. While he was based in Standard Oil's San Francisco headquarters, his work also included much work overseas: a project in Bahrain in 1939, numerous trips to Venezuela and various sites in Canada, Great Britain and Europe. These experiences contributed to an appetite for travel; after his retirement he and Peggy traveled widely, visiting Europe, Egypt, sub-Saharan Africa and Turkey; he also made solo trips to Antarctica and China. In 1936 he and Peggy purchased a used Snipe sailboat, refurbished it, and began sailing races in the Bay. An early member of the Richmond Yacht Club, he berthed boats in the harbor as an active member for more than 40 years. Over a five-year period after WWII, he built a Windward class boat in his backyard, a boat that suited his racing aims and could also accommodate his wife and two daughters. For many years a successful and highly competitive racing captain, he intensified his racing after retirement, when he acquired first a Triton class boat, and then an Islander 36. His racing career was distinguished by the crews he recruited, taught and molded into successful racing teams. A diverse group, starting with Sea Scouts and his daughters in the 1960s and moving on to include crewmembers from a variety of backgrounds in the 1970s and 1980s, all with an intense interest in competition, brought success to Eric's racing endeavors. At age 75, after winning the I-36 championship in several consecutive years, he retired from racing, though he continued to sail recreationally on the Bay and with a group of retirees at the yacht club. Eric was preceded in death by his wife and a granddaughter. He is survived by his daughters, Margaret Warner Traina of Worcester, MA, and Patricia Warner Spear of Berkeley, CA; their spouses; five grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. His children and grandchildren continue to be inspired by his emphasis on education, his lifelong interest in travel, his love for the water, and his dry but irrepressible sense of humor. By his wishes, there will be no services. Memorial contributions can be made to the Richmond Yacht Club Foundation, PO Box 70295, Point Richmond, CA 94807, or a charity of choice.