Charles Holcomb

Charles P. Holcomb
April 6, 1927 - June 30, 2015

On Tuesday, June 30, 2015, Charles P. Holcomb of Sonora, California passed away at his home with family. He was 88 years of age.
Charles "Chuck" Phillip Holcomb was born April 6, 1927 in Sacramento, California to Jesse Phillip Holcomb and Letitia (Nesbitt) Holcomb. He grew up in Mariposa, California and spent the summers in Yosemite where his father worked. He graduated from Mariposa High School in 1944 and joined the Navy in September 1945. He was assigned to the YMS302; a wooden minesweeper ship used to sweep for mines laid by enemy subs in the Pacific and Japan during WWII. Chuck was honorably discharged in January 1946 and started college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He received a degree in Electrical Engineering June of 1948. He worked in Merced for P.G.&E. as a Lineman and Estimator in 1948 & 1949. In June of 1949 Chuck married Lois Hufford of Mariposa. He was hired by the city of Merced as an Electrician and Building Inspector then promoted to Chief Building Inspector in 1952 & 1953. In 1954 he was hired by the State Division of Architecture as a Project Inspector in Napa. From 1956 to 1966 he was a Field Architectural Inspector for Reid Tarics Associates in San Francisco.
In 1969 Chuck moved to Aptos, California where he worked for Dukor Industries building modular homes. In 1970 he started his own construction business in Aptos. The company grew and his son Mark joined him after college and they started a development company called The Holcomb Corporation. Charles was the Architect for the company and was instrumental in the design of Seascape Village Shopping Center and The Seascape Beach Resort and Conference Center in Aptos, California. The Seascape Resort received the Gold Nugget award in 1994 for the "Best in the West" specialty project - hotel/resort. The Holcomb Corporation also received The Aptos Chamber of Commerce "Business of the Year" in 1995.
Charles Holcomb was a past President of the Aptos Chamber of Commerce and received the "Man of the Year" award from the organization. He was a member of the St. Andrew Presbyterian Church of Aptos, Aptos Lions Club, Aptos Sports Foundation and a big supporter of Yosemite National Park. He enjoyed golf, hunting, fishing, boating and exploring the Sierra Nevada mountains. Chuck went on a three month cruise around the world in 1999 and enjoyed seeing all the places and countries. The trip gave him a deeper appreciation and love of the United States of America.
After Chuck retired from the Holcomb Corporation he continued to work developing and building homes in Sonora and Groveland. He purchased 150 acres of land which he developed into the Yosemite Cattle Company. At the time of his death he was working on turning his Yosemite Cattle Company property into a guest ranch.
Charles was preceded in death by his mother and father and two sisters, Jean Bruce and Dorothy Dunton. He is survived by his wife Dottie Holcomb of Sonora: his children Mark Holcomb and Grant Holcomb; his step-children Bruce Smart, Tim Smart and Gail Smart, his grandchildren Kyla Holcomb Piramoon, Keri Holcomb Hope, Jesse Holcomb and Ashley Holcomb Sherman; his great-grandchildren Tessa Hope, Wyatt Holcomb, Nicolas Piramoon and Camila Piramoon.
A "Celebration of Life" will be held at The Seascape Beach Resort July 23, 2015 at 3:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the Yosemite Conservancy made in memoriam of Charles P. Holcomb. The family wishes to extend their deepest appreciation to the communities of Sonora and Santa Cruz County for all their well wishes and condolences.