Grower excelled in the potato business — and citrus, too
He was a lifelong farmer, forever connected to the soil and to the land. But he was also a businessman, because he had a family to support and a legacy to protect.
Ronald Ray Lehr Sr. — Ron to his many friends — died unexpectedly Feb. 2, just one day after he shared a meal at one of his favorite lunch spots in the world, Luigi’s Italian Restaurant in Old Town Kern. He was 82.
“Ron was our regular, and our dear friend,” said Julie Escalante, who has worked at Luigi’s for 19 years.
Lunch at the restaurant and deli in east Bakersfield was a tradition for the retired grower of potatoes and citrus. And in the days before his passing, that tradition continued to be upheld.
“He had lunch on both the Tuesday and Wednesday before he passed,” Escalante said in a text.
“He was a kind and caring man, a true gentleman,” she said.
Kent Stenderup, a third-generation farmer in Arvin, remembered Lehr as a mentor and a friend over the span of decades.
“We joint ventured potatoes with Ron for 37 years,” Stenderup said. “I remember I was in my late 20s. He would come down from Edison on a daily basis.”
Lehr was older, more experienced. And he was particular about his crops and determined to succeed. Each day, Lehr would dig below the tubers, checking for moisture, or lack thereof.
“One day, riding with Ron in his Ford pickup — Ron never
rode with anybody, he always drove — he said there’s not enough moisture on those potatoes.”
When the younger man explained that the water had gone to his cotton rather than the potatoes, Lehr was not about to let the moment pass quietly.
“(Expletive) your cotton!” Stenderup remembers him swearing. “Get that water on those potatoes.”
Thirty-seven years is a long time to sustain a joint venture, Stenderup said as he looked back over the years.
But it was more than worth it.
“Ron taught me everything I know about potatoes,” he said.
Born Sept. 28, 1940, Lehr’s legacy in farming began years earlier when his father, Leo, and uncle Emil came to California from their home in Menno, S.D. Like many who migrated to California during the Great Depression, the Lehr brothers had extended family, the Mettlers, already established in Kern.
The brothers began working in the potato sheds in Edison, and were soon able to purchase a shed of their own, the Lehrs said in a family obituary dedicated to Ron Lehr.
Before the Depression had ended, Lehr Brothers Farms was established in 1938.
Ron grew up with farming in his blood. He attended East Bakersfield High School and was a standout on EB’s football team, and later at Bakersfield College.
In 1960 he and his high school sweetheart Joanie Vorhees were married and soon welcomed a daughter, Leslie Shae’ and later a son, Ronald Ray Jr.
According to the family obituary, Lehr spent the 60s establishing his young family, all the while working alongside his dad, uncle and cousin, learning the art of what would be his lifelong profession.
“He was a very good farmer,” recalled Eugene Schultz,” a longtime friend who began working with Lehr as a fertilizer man.
“When I started, I knew nothing about potatoes,” Schultz said. “Ron, he taught me a lot about potatoes, how they grow and what you needed to do.”
Lehr was tough, he said, and serious about his crops and his business. But at the same time, Lehr was a mentor.
“Like I told somebody,” Schultz said, “I never felt bad about people getting mad at me when I knew they knew more than me.”
Lehr had gained the respect of colleagues and partners and even competitors.
“When you grow crops, it can be frustrating at times,” Schultz said. “But Ron knew potatoes.”
After years of success in the potato business, Lehr later added citrus, thereby diversifying his portfolio and adding a cushion should disaster strike one crop or the other.
In 1978 he bought the business from family partners and established Lehr Brothers Inc., a company that still bears his name today, the family said in the obituary.
“In recent years he turned the day-today operations to his children but never relinquished his love and dedication to business and industry,” the family wrote. “His professional career was much more in depth than just his expertise in the growing and marketing of quality Edison potatoes. He was an avid supporter and participant in the National Potato Board & Counsel and Western Growers Association.
One of his proudest accomplishments was his 33-year tenure as a board member of the Arvin-Edison Water Storage District, where he made many enhancements to the farming community. As a man of faith, he was a lifelong member and attendee of the Grace Reformed Church. He embraced his staunch conservative values and was a strong supporter of Republican politics, local and national.”
Extended family member Fred Mettler, also 82, attended EBHS with Lehr.
“I grew potatoes right next to him,” Mettler said of his second cousin, who he added was one of the toughest individuals
he’s ever known.
Lehr was preceded in passing by his parents, Leo and Leta, and his sister Janice Pursel.
He is survived by wife Micki, daughter Leslie Shae’ (Stephanie), son Ronald Ray Jr. (Dallas), stepdaughter Brenda McMurtrey (David), grandsons Austin, Tanner, Hunter, Jake and granddaughter Alyssa.
Services were held Thursday at Hillcrest Memorial Park.