William McNab
December 30, 1930 - October 8, 2020
Berkeley native, graduate of Berkeley HS and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, U.S. Army Veteran. Bill married Gloria (nee Johnson) of Minneapolis, MN in Toledo, OH in 1957, and they welcomed their first son, William, two years later. The family eventually moved to Kensington, CA where they would have two more children, Gregory and Luanne. Bill and Gloria would live in Kensington a total of fifty years – leaving once for three years due a job transfer, but returning right afterward - before moving to Morgan Hill in 2018. Bill served Kensington through Boy Scout Troop 100, Girl Scout Troop 77, Dads’ Club of Hilltop School, and community activities. Bill was proud of his alma maters, attending class luncheons and football games, talking agriculture and sharing puns and dad jokes with everyone he met. His fondness for railroads led to volunteering with Niles Canyon RxR and Swanton Pacific RxR, and to purchasing a rail car that he and Gloria drove on tracks in CA, AZ, NV, OR, WA, ID, and as far north as Great Slave Lake in Canada. He became a Brake Man at Niles Canyon, and planted redwood trees on the grounds near the tracks at Swanton, trees that eventually became McNab Grove there. When the trees were young, he and Gloria would often go to Swanton, caring for the trees and using the hand car to haul buckets of water to them. A farmer at heart, Bill enjoyed the years they owned a small raisin vineyard in Fresno and never missed an opportunity to drive a tractor. Once they moved to Morgan Hill, Bill often visited the local fruit stands, hunting for the perfect apricot or tomato, and bringing back many to test. He and Gloria loved to travel, and drove thousands of miles across the U.S., cruised twice to Alaska, visited the U.K. and Paris, France, and most recently visited the St. Louis Arch, Foshay Tower in Minnesota, Mt. Rushmore, and the Union Pacific Big Boy engine in Cheyenne, WY.
Preceded in death by his brother, David, and one son, Gregory, Bill is survived by his wife, Gloria, son, William, daughter, Luanne, grandchildren Michael, Heather, Ella (m. Michael Hiraoka), Bryce (m. Erinn Dennehy), Bailey (m. Rikky Bakken), great-grandchildren Mickey and Lyanna, sister, Jean (w. Herb Jorgensen), as well as nephews, nieces, and cousins, each of whom held a special place in his life.
Any donations may be made to Swanton Pacific Railroad in Bill’s Memory. Online at https://bit.ly/swantonrailroad or by check made out to “Cal Poly” with “Swanton Railroad #52” in the memo field. Mail checks to: Cal Poly College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Attn: Advancement, 1 Grand Avenue, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407