William “Bill” Coates, a local expert in tree fruit and nut crops who worked 35 years with the University of California Cooperative Extension office in Hollister, passed away on Nov. 6 after a long battle with cancer. He was 66.
Born June 21,1950 in Bakersfield, Coates grew up learning subsistence gardening from his father and as a teen would frequent the local library and agricultural extension office learning how to improve the harvest. In 1970, he left Bakersfield with not much more than $5 and a used bicycle to attend the University of California, Davis, according to his obituary through Grunnagle-Ament-Nelson Family Funeral Home.
At U.C. Davis, Coates earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in horticulture and completed post-graduate study at Oregon State University. He came to San Benito County in 1976 to work as a farm advisor in the University of California Cooperative Extension office, specializing in tree fruit and nut crops. Over the years his responsibilities grew to include fruit and nut crops in San Benito, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Santa Clara counties.
Through his extensive research studies with university colleagues and education efforts with local growers, he became known as an expert in several crops, but his passion was apricots and walnuts. He would routinely get growers from as far away as Europe and Australia seeking his advice. For many years, he wrote a periodic newspaper column with tips on home gardening, chronicling the development of his “home orchard” containing nearly 20 fruit trees in a standard city backyard.
In condolences posted on the funeral home’s website, Coates was fondly remembered by those with whom he crossed paths.
Mark Brown, a science teacher at Rancho San Justo School, called Coates “a wonderful, selfless man who was always willing to help me with whatever he could. Year after year he would come to help me judge science fair projects at Rancho Middle School, where I teach science. Many times he stayed very late to help get them all judged in years where not many came to help.”
David Baumgartner said, “I’m going to miss Bill’s yearly visits out to my walnut orchard, and in such a nice way telling me what I was doing wrong—over and over again. When you look back on your life there are a few that just seem to stand out; and Bill was one of those for me. I will miss him.”
Coates met his future wife, Nancy, on a blind date in 1982 and they married in 1985 (timing the wedding between codling moth flights). They have three children – Ryan, Ashley, and Darren (all graduates of U.C. Davis) and recently welcomed daughter-in-law Amber, to the family.
Coates retired in 2011 but continued to perform research as a Farm Advisor Emeritus. He enjoyed practicing photography, riding steam trains, and reading about World War II – and he was always planning his next trip to Hawaii.
A celebration of life was held Nov. 14 at Gilroy Presbyterian Church.