Peter Derby Stockton

1929 - 2021

PETER DERBY STOCKTON
May 13, 1929 - March 26, 2021

Pete was the eldest son of Frank R. Stockton and Eve Derby Stockton. A fifth-generation Californian, both his parents came from families among the earliest pioneers in Kern County agriculture. For most of his ninety-one years, Pete lived in Kern County, his face and sly grin familiar in cafes from Arvin to Glennville, where he was always willing to share his thoughts in his very considered and deliberate fashion.

After graduating from Bakersfield High in 1948, Pete joined the Air Force, and was stationed in Maine. He returned to Bakersfield in 1952, and went to work at Derby Farms in Arvin, handling clerical duties and the maintenance of farm equipment. He had a lifelong affection for antique farm and oilfield machinery, and loved talking about the way things were built before the age of mass production.

He had many hobbies and interests over the course of his life. He was a pretty good skier, a licensed pilot who loved flying small planes, and an excellent amateur photographer. He was also an avid Ham Radio operator, and, many decades before the advent of the internet, enjoyed connecting with people in faraway places. In the 1960s and '70s, he could frequently be found at the Bakersfield Community Theater company, working on lighting and stagecraft elements.

Pete was a devout Catholic and a regular parishioner at Christ the King Church in Oildale for over 40 years. He was active in the community, and regularly took part in Parish social activities. When he was no longer able to live alone at his home in Granite Station, he moved to Grants Pass, Oregon, to be near his sister Monica Stockton, who oversaw his care for his remaining years. Other survivors include his nephews Mark, Bill, and Zack Stockton, his niece Kate Glossbrenner, and far too many cousins to list here.

There will be a graveside service at 11 AM on Saturday April 17th at the family cemetery in Granite Station, after which Pete will be interred alongside his parents and his brothers, Tom and Terry.  May he rest in peace.