Victor Clifton Wykoff Jr.

1938 - 2024

Victor Clifton Wykoff, Jr.
08/06/1938 - 09/16/2024
Born on August 6, 1938, Victor Clifton Wykoff Jr., "Vic," died peacefully while holding his wife's hand on September 16, 2024. Vic was a fifth-generation Californian, born in Fresno to Clarisse Champion Wykoff and Victor Clifton Wykoff.
Vic was an active youth, becoming an Eagle Scout and later achieving the Order of the Arrow. He majored in economics at the University of California, Berkeley, where he rowed crew and was a brother in the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity. He passed the California State Bar in 1964 after graduating from UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall), practiced law as a State Attorney in Sacramento, and remained an active member of the Bar for over 50 years. He was proud to serve as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Armor Corps.
He married the love of his life, Marilyn Brown, in 1965 at his in-laws' ranch in Stockton, California, leaving the ceremony in a helicopter. They met on a blind date while he was at Boalt Hall and were married for 59 years. Together, they raised three children: Laura "Laurie" Lynn, Wendy Elizabeth, and Charles Clifton.
Vic went into business at Holt Bros, a Caterpillar dealership in Stockton, California, with his father-in-law, Parker M. Holt. Vic became CEO and President and worked with Gordon Beatie to merge Holt Bros with Tenco Tractor, forming the HOLT of California dealership. He was active in the Stockton community, serving on the Planning Commission and as an elder for the Lincoln Presbyterian Church. He also served the Rotary Club of Stockton, the United Way of San Joaquin County, and the Audubon Society of San Joaquin County for many years, being elected president of each.
Vic had a green thumb and a special affinity for nature. His gardens in Stockton, Clements, and Carmel were spectacular and places he treasured, especially with the family dogs by his side and often with his wife nearby. Vic was an avid birder for much of his life and enjoyed early morning birding trips with his family around Stockton. He loved trees; for years, he and his family collected thousands of acorns in the fall and then planted them across Stockton and the greater Central Valley, happily giving them away to anyone who wanted to plant them. He placed advertisements for free oak trees in the Stockton Record, hand-delivering or mailing seedlings to anyone interested. Similarly, he nurtured cypress trees and planted dozens around Carmel Point, which are visible and thriving today.
Vic was a warm, inclusive, humble people-person-a true gentleman. He was an avid reader and a natural with the written word, writing and mailing thousands of poems and letters to family and friends, often including news or photographs, clippings, leaves, or stickers in the envelopes. Vic spent years bicycling and jogging, and a high point for him was running the last mile and crossing the finish line of the Boston Marathon with his son in 2003.
He was a social creature, being a member of the Stockton Golf & Country Club, the Pacific-Union Club of San Francisco, and the Society of California Pioneers. During years of travel with his wife, Vic always made new friends and connected with strangers. He loved his grandchildren and enjoyed a good game of Bridge or Canasta. He felt at home in the warm and welcoming community of the Carmel Valley Manor, where he and Marilyn moved in 2021.
Vic was preceded in death by his beloved brother Frank Wykoff and his daughter Laurie, who died at the age of 12 from leukemia in 1979. Vic is survived by his wife, his two remaining children, a daughter-in-law, and six grandchildren. In his memory, please smile at the natural world around you and consider planting a tree.