Thomas Kimball Obituary

Thomas Eaton Kimball Of Mt. Aukum, CA, who was born in Glendale, CA in 1941, son of Rufus and Caroline Kimball, passed away suddenly on July 5 while on vacation with his wife, Bobbie, in Bridgeport, CA. Since 1950 he and members of his family had been frequent visitors at the Hunewill Guest Ranch near Bridgeport. A prominent lawyer, Tom attended Stanford University and then graduated from the Stanford School of Law in 1966 where he was a member of the Stanford Law Review. His first position as a lawyer was with the Sierra Club in Washington, D.C. He then spent many successful years as a maritime lawyer with a San Francisco law firm, before serving as General Counsel for the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Since 2004, he was an Administrative Law Judge with the state Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. Tom dearly loved opera and the arts, animals, his life in Mt. Aukum, gardening, his work as a judge and cooking delicious meals for his family. He was a voracious reader and had an encyclopedic knowledge. Friends and family will greatly miss his humble way of explaining the answer to any question asked. He lived in the Bay Area for most of his adult life and loved spending time with his daughters sailing the bay, spending summers in the delta, hiking the Sierras and attending performances at the SF Opera. He championed many causes: environmental preservation, animal rights, human rights issues, significant political concerns. He truly loved helping people. Judge Kimball is survived by his wife Bobbie; his daughters Marina Yoakum (David) of Berkley, CA. and Lisa Godfrey (Ted) of Napa, CA; the Yoakum children Max, Chase and Grant; sister Bonnie Peterson, brother-in-law Bob, their daughter Valerie of Los Gatos, CA, and his cousin David Kimball of Sacramento, CA. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Animal Outreach of El Dorado County, P.O. Box 480, Diamond Springs, CA 95619, or the Sierra Club Foundation at 85 Second St. San Francisco, CA 94105, as you think he would most have appreciated. A celebration of Tom's life will be held at Three Forks Grange Hall, 7060 Mt. Aukum Road, Mt. Aukum, CA, Saturday August 13, 2011 at 1:00PM.

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Published by San Francisco Chronicle from Jul. 16 to Jul. 17, 2011.

Memories and Condolences
for Thomas Kimball

5 Entries

August 16, 2011

Dear Kimball Family. My sincere condolences for your loss. I had the honor and pleasure to appear before Judge Kimball many times , as a hearing representative for his un-employment hearings. When I first met him I was able to identify what a special man he was and the brillance he exhibited. I worked the Chico/Redding area's exclusively and would only see him every two or three months. He always remembered my name and made me feel very comfortable. I will miss him , as I know you all will. May God Bless you and yours. Respectfully- Joe Moore Jr. Millville, Calif.

Tom Kimball with family 1961

Phil Kimball

July 25, 2011

Phil Kimball

July 25, 2011

Tom was my first cousin. I saw him occasionally at family gatherings in our formative years in San Mateo in the 1950's and early 1960's. He was eight years older than myself. We always got reports of his brilliance as a student, attorney, and judge. I wish I had made an effort to talk to him more often. I last saw him in 1989 at my father's Memorial. He approached me, and suggested we get together sometime. Somehow, that never happened, and I sure regret it. I was always struck by his good looks, and quiet intelligence. He reminded me of his parents, who I knew pretty well as a youth. It all seems like yesterday, and now he is gone, but I remember the family gatherings at my grandmother's house in Palo Alto. Good bye, Tom. I am very sad to lose you.

David Kimball

July 24, 2011

Tom was my father’s older brother’s first-born, and only son, the eldest of eight cousins on the Kimball side of the family. Except for a few brief family visits as children, he and I seldom saw one another throughout most of our lives. We were only a few years apart in age though, and as we each got into our 60’s, we discovered that we were both living and working in the greater Sacramento area. We reconnected by phone three or four years ago, and since then met for lunch on more than one occasion, discussing everything from our present lives and concerns, to family matters and politics.

Tom and I were the eldest male cousins on the Kimball side and we were both grandfathers. Though each of our lives had been completely different, we found that we were in agreement on most things, and that we shared many of the same values. I believe that he was as glad as I was that after all these years we had finally begun to get to know one another.

We had lunch together just a few months ago, and I’ll miss him.

Joan Cerney

July 17, 2011

Remembrances of Mr. Kimball as a legal secretary at Lillick.

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