Thomas S. Castle, civic leader and prominent businessman, died
Friday, April 30, 2004, after a lengthy illness. A lifelong
resident of Santa Clara County, Mr. Castle had been a Morgan Hill
resident for 45 years.
Thomas S. Castle, civic leader and prominent businessman, died Friday, April 30, 2004, after a lengthy illness. A lifelong resident of Santa Clara County, Mr. Castle had been a Morgan Hill resident for 45 years. Over 20 of those years were spent working in city government including terms as mayor, city councilman and planning commissioner. He was named Citizen of the Year in 1979.
Mr. Castle was born Dec. 26, 1922 , in San Francisco to Albert Castle and his wife, the former Margaret Casey of Ireland. He attended schools in Mountain View, later attending U.C. Davis majoring in horticulture science. His formal education was followed by a four-year stint in the Air Force. In 1947 he married the former Jean Rielle and settled in Los Altos.
He joined his father’s small seed and fertilizer business doing such jobs as seed sales, deliveries and formulating chemicals. When his father retired he took control of the company moving the business to Morgan Hill in 1959. He built an office and warehouse to accommodate his business, A.L. Castle, Inc. on a 40-acre berry ranch located on what is now known as Vineyard Boulevard.
Under Castle’s direction, the company grew from four employees to more than 100. Through his hard work and determination, the company gained a worldwide reputation for seed quality and effective research. He went on to form Thomas S. Castle Farms, Inc. which grew vine crops primarily focusing on breeding different tomato varieties. In 1985, Castle sold his business to Arco Seed Co.
Rather than retire, Mr. Castle started a farming business in Santiago, Chile, where he grew hybrid watermelon and cantaloupe seed. He continued to manage this business, Semillas Castle, until his health failed him approximately six years ago.
He was involved in many organizations over the years: Elks Club, Lions Club, Commonwealth Club to mention a few. He was a past chairman of the Santa Clara County Library Commission and was an honorary member of the Future Farmers of America. He was a past president of the California Seed Association and the Pacific Seed Association. He had a reputation for being fair and just. In his later years, he was an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association.
He had a passion for hunting and fishing. He held a private pilot license and enjoyed flying his family to Mexico on vacation.
He will be greatly missed by his wife of 57 years, Jean; sons Jamie and Mike; daughter Nancy; four grandchildren Robin Mayer and her husband, Ray of New Jersey, Stephanie and Christine Castle of Gilroy and Christopher Castle of Capitola. He was a great-grandfather to Ashley Margaret Mayer of New Jersey.
A memorial service takes place at 11 a.m. Friday, May 14, at Johnson Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be made to Odyssey Hospice, 1500 Hamilton Avenue, Suite 212, Campbell, Calif. 95008.
