I was completely unaware of the passing of Mr Frank Evangelho until I encountered a post from J Carroll, and another from Jim Cowan.
Marshall Spoo Sunset Funeral Chapel
“Frank David Evangelho: September 22, 1945 - July 12, 2018 (AGE 72)”
"VIGIL SERVICE:
Thursday,July 26, 2018 @ 5:30 PM
Marshall-Spoo Sunset Funeral Chapel
1239 Longbranch Ave.
Grover Beach, CA 93433
“TIME OF REMEMBRANCE:
Thursday, July 26, 2018 @ 6:30 PM
Marshall-Spoo Sunset Funeral Chapel
1239 Longbranch Ave.
Grover Beach, CA 93433”
On this site, you can write a message of remembrance or support under the "Tribute Wall".
Santa Maria Times
“Frank David Evangelho”
July 17, 2018
“Frank David Evangelho, 72, of Nipomo, passed away July 12, 2018. Services are in the care of Marshall-Spoo Sunset Funeral Chapel of Grover Beach.”
SF Chronicle
“In Contra Costa County, A Vineyard That Defies All Odds”
by Esther Mobley
June 23, 2016
“…‘I’ve got one of the last vineyards left in Antioch,’ says Frank Evangelho, its second-generation caretaker."_
"…Evangelho grew up in these vines, and looks it: Like a pet owner who comes to resemble his dog, he’s sturdy, unshowy and vaguely beachy, sporting Hawaiian shirts and a Guy Fieri-esque goatee. At 70, Evangelho doesn’t have the energy he always did - a pacemaker, a defibrillator and some stents have kept him moving since a 1995 heart attack - but as he walks through his 36-acre vineyard, he interacts with his vines with a deep, if quiet, passion.
“‘These vines are connected to me,’ he says.
"…Evangelho’s father, Manuel, who came here from Portugal’s Azores Islands, began farming the vineyard in the 1930’s. When its owners and original planters, the Viera family, sold the property to PG&E in 1952, Manuel eked out an agreement to purchase 11 acres and lease another 29. Frank took over the farming from his father in 1963. The business then was grape shipping - mostly to home winemakers in Canada.
“Those were wild, lawless days. The Evangelhos’ shipping competition was the Italian mafia; Frank Evangelho says he was a murder target. (‘Did you get the flowers yet?’ read one auspicious note sent to him. Lucky for him, his Mafioso rival eventually went to prison for driving the getaway car for a murder in San Jose.)”
“…Frank Evangelho is a religious man. Before his heart attack, he worked for a time as a marriage and family counselor at a nonprofit Christian counseling center. When he speaks about his vines, he’s speaking from the perspective of a businessman - they are now his sole source of income - but also from an impulse that is obviously spiritual. ‘We live by the season, and that is a value. You’re connected to nature. It gives you a different feel. If we lose our connection to the values, things go chaotic.’…”
East Bay Times
“Vineyard’s Roots Run Deep for Antioch Man”
by Simon Read
July 11, 2007
"…‘I have a strong emotional connection to this land and these vines,’ he said, standing among vines planted in 1890. 'These vines are like people. I know them all individually. Some are weaker and need more help, while others are strong and don’t require as much attention.'**
"For Evangelho, the vineyard is more than a large plot of land or a business: It’s a piece of Antioch’s living history and a strong connection to his past.
“‘I’ve been farming this land since I was nine years old,’ he said. ‘I learned from my father.’
"…'Evangelho’s own memories of growing up in Antioch are dominated by his time spent on the vineyard. The vast majority of what he has learned about caring for vines comes from his father.
“…Walking through the vineyard and listening to Evangelho speak, it’s clear the vineyard is a true labor of love. ‘When I was 4, I got lost in the vineyard,’ Evangelho said. 'It was August, and the vines had grown really big. I was gone for hours. My father eventually found me crying beneath a Zinfandel vine. My blood, sweat and tears are in this soil.'…”
SF Chronicle
“Bedrock Wine Company Takes Over Old-Vine Evangelho Vineyard”
by Esther Mobley
August 2, 2017
"…Frank Evangelho had run up against a dilemma familiar to many California vintners: Retirement was on the horizon, and his family business had no heirs willing to step in. In his area of Contra Costa County, many old-vine vineyards have yielded in recent years to strip malls and residential development - pressures that will only mount as BART prepares its line expansion through Antioch in 2018.
“‘For Frank, whose father started farming the vineyard in 1938, the idea of being forced to sell to a developer was repugnant,’ wrote Twain-Peterson.
“…‘We love Frank and (wife) Jo Ann,’ Twain-Peterson continued, ‘we love the wines, and we have the rare capacity to make sure the vineyard, and the decades of Frank’s emotional and financial investment, continues to be tended with the care it deserves.’”
I find it reassuring, and still a little miraculous, that MTP, Chris, & Co. swooped in and literally saved the “Evangelho Vineyard”. Given his years of labor, the unwavering fight against the encroachment of developers, and his strong emotional connection to the land, Mr Frank’s passing of the torch to Bedrock Wine Co. was like a happy ending to The Good Earth!
I had trouble ascertaining whether or not the Frank David Evangelho of Nipomo, California, was the same person who spent his life shielding a plot of vines in eastern CoCo. Knowing that it indeed was him tells me that he had full faith in his successors. I find peace in this fact.