William P. "Bud" Staben Jr.

April 23, 1930 - Jan. 4, 2013

William P. "Bud" Staben Jr., 82, died on Jan. 4, 2013, at his home in Corvallis.

He was born on April 23, 1930, in Santa Paula, Calif., to William and Jeanne Pellissier Staben.

Bud graduated from Santa Paula Union High School in 1948, later farming family land in Tehachapi, Calif., earning the American Degree from the Future Farmers of America. After service in the U.S. Army he returned to Santa Paula and worked as a journeyman carpenter. His first marriage, in 1952, produced five children.

In 1963, Bud married Frances Soares in Concord, Calif., and took over operation of the Santa Paula ranch, where he successfully established an equestrian center that continued for decades.

In 1970, he became the production manager of Cal-Turf in San Juan Bautista, Calif. He, Frances, their three young boys and Bud's oldest son, Rob, moved to San Benito County that year. Bud returned to construction in 1971, eventually becoming a general contractor. In 1976, the family moved to the North County area of Hollister, where they lived for 35 years.

Bud served as Exalted Ruler of the Hollister Elks Lodge in 1984 and 1985. He enjoyed skiing, hiking and tending his Pinot Noir vineyard. He loved Hawaii, hiking the Maui mountains and walking the beaches. At their condo in Kihei he marked the end of each day by blowing the conch shell to the sun setting over the Pacific.

In 2010, Bud and Frances moved to Corvallis, where they celebrated their 49th anniversary this past November.

Bud was preceded in death by his son, Michael; his mother, Jeanne; his father, Bud (Sr.); his sister, Audrey; and his brother, Frank.

He is survived by his wife, Frances Staben of Corvallis; sons Robert Staben (Lisa) of Hollister, William P. Staben III (Connie) of Salem, David Staben (Rosemary) of Chowchilla, Calif., Mark Staben (Sharon) of Corvallis and Kurt Staben of Sheridan, Wyo.; daughters Lori Waldrop (Brad) of Hollister and Audrey Verissimo (Steve) of Hollister; grandchildren Kate, Jared and Jacob Staben, Teresa and Samantha Waldrop, Lena Lico, Michelle Erskine, Joseph Verissimo, Blake and Evan Staben, and Alexandra and Ryan Staben; eight great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will take place at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8, at the Hollister Elks Lodge. The family would like to have any friends and family who can attend to bring their memories and/or pictures to share with all of us.

TOSHIBA Exif JPEG