John Soley Selfridge III

November 6, 1949 - January 9, 2014

Jock Selfridge passed away quietly at his much- loved home on January 9, 2014. He was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer in August of 2006. He faced the challenges that accompanied this devastating disease with stoic courage. He chose to see his glass half full, not half empty.

Jock was born in San Francisco on November 6, 1949. He first came to the Santa Barbara area when visiting his maternal grandparents, Ruth and John Rock (Pi and Jack) who settled in the Carpinteria Valley in 1917. Jock returned to Carpinteria to attend Cate School and graduated from Cate in 1967. He attended Dartmouth and UC Riverside, where he met his future wife, Marty McCreary, in 1969. Jock joined the Navy Reserve in 1970 shortly after the lottery for the draft. He served two years on active duty. Following his discharge from the Navy, Jock decided to do what he loved most - ski! He moved to the Sierras and skied professionally at Mt. Reba/Bear Valley for ten years. He worked first as a ski instructor, then as a ski patrolman and finally as a lift mechanic. Jock made skiing look easy. His flowing style was distinctive on the mountain and he had a reputation for being able to ski gracefully in any kind of snow and over any terrain.

He returned to Carpinteria with his wife and son in 1987 and began the Electrical Apprentice program in Santa Barbara. He excelled in the program and was named Outstanding Apprentice in 1988-1989. Jock worked as a journeyman electrician until a back injury inspired him to return to school. He enrolled at Santa Barbara City College and it was there that he fell in love with chemistry. He continued his studies at UCSB, earning a degree in Chemical Engineering in 2002. Jock happily began a new career as a test chemist at NuSil that same year. He was a true scientist and derived great pleasure from labors in the lab. He was able to continue to work at NuSil until 2011.

Jock will be remembered for being a true original. He lived life on his own terms. He possessed a keen intelligence and a wonderful sense of humor, as well as a much rarer commodity - common sense. He was able to do so many things well, but he was humble and unassuming concerning his talents. Jock loved libraries. He visited them often and he read voraciously. He wore only shirts with pockets so he could always have a pencil handy. His pencil might be employed to write down a revelation or a pun, to sort through numbers of a "killer" Sudoku or to solve his favorite crossword puzzle - The Sunday New York Times. Jock was practical, honest, and kind. He was a gentle soul and his quiet presence will be greatly missed.

Jock is survived by his wife, Marty; his son, Sam; his mother, Adele Rock Nickel (Dodo); and his siblings: Sally, Kinzie, Susan, Jim, Buzzie and Nancy, along with a large and loving extended family.

A special thank you to Jock's caring and competent doctors: Dr. Mukul Gupta, Dr. Michael Kearney, and Dr. Jeoffrey Benson; to everyone at Sansum Oncology and the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara; to the dedicated team from Visiting Nurse and Hospice; and to all the loving caregivers who made it possible for us to keep him at home.

There will be a celebration of Jock's life in Carpinteria in March. In lieu of flowers please donate to Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care of Santa Barbara or Friends of the Carpinteria Library.