Morgan Hill lost another old-time character last month when
Ervine Xavier died at the age of 84. His life, according to his
youngest son, Jim, was a series of hops
– going from place to place, job to job. But he always had
fun.
Morgan Hill lost another old-time character last month when Ervine Xavier died at the age of 84. His life, according to his youngest son, Jim, was a series of hops – going from place to place, job to job. But he always had fun.
Xavier will be remembered by friends and family alike at a service Saturday, March 29, and everyone is invited.
“Come and give him a good send-off,” Jim said. “Bring your best story – or your worst story.”
Jim Xavier is a captain in the Santa Clara County Fire Department, stationed in Morgan Hill.
Jim told a few tales about his father but hopes to hear more from the many old friends who remain. Here’s a few:
Ervine was a founding member of the “Quick Draw Club” – How fast can you pull your gun and shoot a balloon?
“And he won a bet that within next five years he could row a boat one block down Monterey,” Jim said. “The loser had to haul the winner down Monterey in a wheelbarrow.”
“There was no telling when you’d find it (his 1917 Model T) being driven on the sidewalk.” He got it stuck between light pole and bench at old city hall and had to be rescued by the fire department.
Ervine (pronounced Ervin) was always a Californian since he was born in Oakland on July 7, 1918. Jim said Ervine’s grandparents arrived in the 1880s. They dry farmed in the South San Jose and Evergreen areas and the family ended up in Morgan Hill; after eighth grade he left to seek his fortune.
He got as far as the Jackson Ranch in the hills east of town. Ervine became a real, working cowboy, fixing fences, chasing cattle. Cattle were not impressed by the youngster, Jim said.
“Dad and the other cowboys used to go to dances where the dam is now,” Jim said recently. “One October the guys wanted to go to a Halloween dance and old man Jackson said ‘No.’” The boys were so mad they pushed the outhouse back about four feet when Jackson came out for a visit after dark, Jim said. “You can picture what happened.”
Ervine parted company with the cows and went to work driving a truck for Gunter Brothers feed company.
A few years before World War II began Ervine left his good Gunter friends and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was assigned to the USS Cincinnati as a machinist’s mate.
After he returned from the Navy he married Ruth Reno Carter, a local girl with an interesting great grandfather – Major M.A. Reno who survived Little Big Horn where Gen. George Custer did not.
When Pearl Harbor was bombed, Ervine received his draft notice and reported to the U.S. Army Induction Center.
“His old Navy captain found him there,” Jim said, “dragged him out of line and got him back into the Navy. He got his rank back and began training the new kids.” Ervine spent the war, mostly in the Aleutians, islands off the coast of Alaska in the Bering Strait and a cold, cold posting for a California sailor.
Back in town after the war, Ervine started X’s Sand and Gravel. Ruth and Ervine had two children during that time: Eyvonne (who died at age 32) and Junior, who was a volunteer fire fighter. Jim came later.
Ervine also bought a partnership in X’s Cozy Corner on the corner of Monterey Road and Third Street originally called The Brass Rail.
“The VFW and the Mustangers used to have gymkhanas on the Diana property (where the family lived),” Jim said. Diana was the site of many barbecues, dances and parties that ended up at the house. Jim was less than pleased since he insists he was trying to do his homework and the noise interrupted him.
After the bar sold in the early 1970s, he opened a decorative rock shop “that did miserably,” Jim said, then a saddle shop.
“Around 1980 he closed it up and retired,” Jim said. “He and Mom sold house, bought an RV trailer and hit the road. They traveled mostly on the West Coast; Mom didn’t mind at all.”
Ruth was prepared for the RV life after years of camping on Mt. Madonna with the children and Ervine’s friends.
“He really enjoyed camping with Roy and Walter Gunter and Joe Galvin,” Jim said, “roasting marshmallows and playing the harmonica – Roy picked out tunes on the guitar.” Ervine also played the “squeezebox”, a button-type accordion.
Jim said his father was active with the Wings of History museum in San Martin.
Ruth died 1988 after 44 years of marriage.
“That hit him pretty hard,” Jim said. “He got really quiet after that and stayed pretty close to Morgan Hill and Hollister.”
Ervine moved to the veterans’ home in Yountville eight years ago.
“He liked it there,” Jim said. “It’s a nice area with a bowling area, a pool hall and a card room.” Ervine joined the Yountville Jammers Band.
Ervine is survived by Jim, his wife Jayne and daughters Elyssa and Eyvonne; by Ervine Junior’s sons Cameron, Cory and Chad plus Cory’s son Logan; and by Eyvonne’s daughter Trudy and her daughters Julia and Rachael Sidener. Ervine Junior died in 1986.
Memorial service for Ervine, who died Feb. 25, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at Advent Lutheran Church, 16870 Murphy Ave. He will be buried later in Mount Hope Cemetery.
“He has lots of relatives there,” Jim said, “on the east side, against the fence.”
