George Irvin Wilde

A long-time Santa Paula resident, Mr. Wilde was born in Sacramento, California, on November 4, 1915. His parents, Ellen and Albert Wilde, instilled in him and his three siblings a love for reading and learning, a deep sense of the importance of honesty and integrity, the necessity of hard work, and an everlasting appreciation of nature.

Mr. Wilde graduated from Stanford University in 1937 with a degree in General Engineering. While at Stanford, he fell in love with Flora Delphine Joy, a beautiful coed from

Santa Paula, and they married in 1939.

Soon after graduation, he began working for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as a civil engineer involved in the earliest days of the monumental Central Valleys Water Project. This led to a job with Bechtel Corporation, and for the next several years, he and his young wife and growing family travelled to various jobsites, living in Edmonton, Canada, Northern California, and Sonora, Mexico.

The young couple decided to settle down in Santa Paula. Mr. Wilde became a citrus rancher at the side of Delphine’s father, Ray C. Joy. However, his love of engineering won out when he was given the opportunity in 1951 to work for the newly formed United Water Conservation District. In 1965, he became the general manager of Santa Paula Water Works, Ltd. He returned to United Water Conservation District as general manager in 1981, retiring in 1987.

Throughout his professional life, Mr. Wilde was devoted to the preservation of a healthful, sustainable water supply, not only for industry and agriculture but for personal use as well. He fervently believed that water is our most valuable resource, and its management and protection was his life’s work.

Mr. Wilde played an active role in the civic life of Santa Paula. He was very proud of the many good works accomplished by the Santa Paula Rotary Club, of which he was a member for sixty years. He attended meetings regularly until very recently, and was so committed to Rotary that he always made a point of attending “make up” meetings when out of town on family vacations. He served on the Santa Paula Union High School Board from 1953 to 1967, as president for the final four of the fourteen years. His many years of involvement with the Boy Scouts of America included serving as Santa Paula District commissioner.

A true outdoorsman, Mr. Wilde was never happier than when hiking and fishing (not very successfully, he would always say) in the Sierras. The little mountain cabin on the American River near Lake Tahoe that he helped his father build was the home of his heart.

Mr. Wilde was devoted and committed to his family. He shared a full and wonderful 52 years with Delphine before she passed away in 1992. His family includes children Joy Finley, Christine Jones (Jerry Jones), Patricia Anderson, Alice Hahn (Thomas Hahn), Roger Wilde (Eileen Sheridan), and Mary Wilde (David Botta). His fourteen grandchildren adore him, as do his ten great-grandchildren. His entire extended family is inspired by his example of a life well lived.

For the last eighteen years, the family has been delighted to welcome Betty J. Daly, Mr. Wilde’s loving friend, into their hearts.

The family is very grateful for the devoted care that Alma Amador provided Mr. Wilde over the last seven years.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 8, at 11:00 AM, in the Unitarian Universalist Church, the church in which he and Delphine were married, 740 East Main Street, Santa Paula.

Donations in Irv Wilde’s memory may be made to The Nature Conservancy at www.nature.org.