Herbert L. Eggleston Jr.

1923 - 2017

Herbert L. Eggleston, Jr.
February 4, 1923 - April 29, 2017
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Herbert L. Eggleston, Jr. passed away peacefully, Saturday, April 29, 2017 at the age of 94, at his home in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA. An engineer who loved numbers and facts, he would have enjoyed doing the calculations to point out that this meant he had been alive exactly 2,964,384,000 seconds!
Raised in Southern California, by loving parents with a younger sister and older brother, Herb enjoyed an ideal childhood, forging lifelong friendships with neighborhood members of 'The Cumberland Road Gang'. During World War II he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps and was a pilot in the 492nd Fighter Squadron. Flying the P-47 Thunderbolt was a thrilling and unforgettable experience; he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service. Herb returned from the war to continue at Stanford University and graduated as an Electrical Engineer. It was at Stanford that he met Dana Fore. As fate would have it, the two had unknowingly grown up just a block from each other on Cumberland Road in Glendale, California. After winning Dana over, the two married in 1949, and Herb used his engineering and management skills to run Goldak, the family business started by Dana's father. He ran the company until he retired in 1995.
Dana and Herb moved to Carmel after retirement. For the last 24 years Herb engaged in things he loved. His woodworking projects were many, and he was a terrific wood turner. His homemade jigsaw puzzles were clever and challenging. Herb's baking skills were legion, and no recipe was too difficult – homemade marshmallows and his famous popovers were favorites of the many friends and family that visited frequently. Herb was a musician who loved jazz, started with the trombone and saxophone. Later in life, Herb took up the bassoon, and the beautiful tones he made are greatly missed. He also played bassoon for the Watsonville Concert Band. Herb loved all things flying and was an active member of the Society for Aviation History.
Herb was an avid golfer and a fan of watching sports: he rarely lost hope in a return to glory for Phil Mickelson and could be counted on to remember the minutiae of Stanford's recent sporting endeavors. Herb was a man of the greatest integrity, and had quick sense of humor that never left him. Many of his interests and musical talents were passed on to and are shared by his family.
Herb is survived by his wife of 67 years, Dana Eggleston of Carmel-by-the-Sea, his three children, Herb Eggleston III of Carmel, Robert Eggleston of Carmel Valley and Amy Gaddis (Byron Gaddis), of Lake Oswego, Oregon, as well as six grandchildren: Rushad (Lauren) Eggleston, Zubin (Cameron) Eggleston, Zarosh (Brooke) Eggleston, Forrest (Margo) Eggleston, Vivian and Emily Gaddis.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Central Coast VNA and Hospice.
Condolences may be written to the family at
www.bermudezfamilyfunerals.com


View the online memorial for Herbert L. Eggleston, Jr.