Gerald John Steiner

October 8, 1922 – December 29, 2016

Gerald J. Steiner husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather passed away Thursday, December 29, 2016 in Sacramento.

Gerald was born and raised on his parents’ Frank Steiner and Anna Kleinhans Steiner farm north of Visalia. He attended the single room Chatham School and graduated from Visalia Union High School in 1941. He was an active member of Future Farmers of America and was a State Star Farmer.

He farmed with his father during World War II, and served with the U.S. Army, 83rd Quartermaster Supply in Kobe, Japan after the war from 1946 to 1947. After returning to the family farm, he married Dolores Hauser in 1950 and lived in the house they built until retirement to Visalia in 2003.

Gerald and Dolores farmed 1,800 acres of cotton, alfalfa, corn, barley, walnuts, and oranges. They also operated a 400 head cow-calf herd on valley prairie and foothill pastures. His favorite enterprise, however, was a 375-sow farrow-to-finish swine operation named Oink Farm that was one of the first complete confinement facilities in the country.

Gerald was a long-time member of the Visalia Elks Club, Visalia Country Club, and Visalia Rotary Club. He served as director and several times as president of the California Pork Producers Association, advisory committee member for the Bank of America Livestock Symposium, member of the board of directors of Ranchers Cotton Oil, and member of the National, California, and Tulare Country Cattlemen’s Associations.

He was one of the founders of the Visalia Cooperative Cotton Gin in 1950, and was co-owner of San Joaquin Marketing, Inc. He served as a former director and president of the Delta Vector Mosquito Abatement District, former president of the Uphill Ditch District, and past member of the Board of Trustees of the Taurusa Chatham School District.

Gerald will be remembered for his love of his children, grandchildren and their children, raising pack mules for fishing trips to the Sierra Nevada high country, and vacationing at his and Dolores’ house on the Central California Coast in Cambria.

Gerald is survived by his wife of 66 years Dolores, children Jeffrey (Janice) of Queen Anne, MD, Daniel (Christine) of Granite Bay, Brian (Dana) of Pasadena, and Lisa (Allan Jensen) of Englewood, CO. Grandchildren Daniel (Anna), Jill Nelson (Nolan), Michael, Timothy (Alison), Michelle Moross (Robert), Jessica, Elizabeth, and Liesl Jensen, and great grandchildren Josiah, Micah, Cambria, Jace Nelson, Reese Nelson, Andrew, and Claire. Preceding him were his parents and sister Frances Renner.

Gerald was a founding member of the Ag One Foundation scholarship program at California State University Fresno, and remembrances be given in his name to the foundation.

Memorial tributes may be made in his name to the Ag One Foundation at California State University, Fresno in support of agricultural students and programs (2910 E. Barstow Ave., MS OF115, Fresno, CA 93740).

Please leave a message on the online guestbook at www.nicoletticuljisherbergerfunerals.com .

Arrangements under the direction of Nicoletti, Culjis & Herberger Funeral Home, Sacramento, CA.