In Memory
Gordon Contival, Sr.
Rancher Gordon James Contival Sr. died Aug. 29, peacefully surrounded by family. He was 93 years old. Gordon was born to George Contival and Irene Everett on Sept. 18, 1927 in Cienega, at his grandparents' homestead. He was born early, tiny but tough and family lore says that his grandma kept him warm in a box on the door of the wood stove. He was raised in rural San Benito County until his father George Contival started a dairy in South San Jose. Gordon helped his father on the ranch milking cows and attended school in Morgan Hill until he was drafted into the Army during WWII. He was stationed in the Arctic at Baffin Island at a weather station. After the war ended, he was released and came home to be a cowboy at the Coe Ranch. Gordon remained an active member of American Legion Post 0444 in Morgan Hill. Once a cowboy, always a cowboy, Gordon went on to wear his hat and boots for the rest of his life. As his family grew he started driving a feed truck, first for L.W. Prouse in Coyote, then Gunter Bros. in Morgan Hill. Good friends finally convinced him to try out for a job as a groundskeeper with the Morgan Hill Unified School District where he worked until he retired in 1992. Outside work was only part of his life. In the eastern Morgan Hill foothills, he raised Suffolk sheep, Angus and Hereford Cattle and Border Collies. In the 70s as his sheepherding kids were growing up and moving away he started using a Border Collie to round up his sheep. He caught the sheep dog trial bug and spent the rest of his life traveling with his late wife, kids and friends, winning many sheep dog trials and a few cattle dog trials too, always making more great friends along the way. After he retired
Wiiliam Henry Adams
Bill Adams an antique cowboy, retired firefighter died Aug.4. William Harry Adams was a fifth generation Californian, born in Morgan Hill to Chester Adams and Meda McChesney and raised on his family ranch in the Uvas Road area. He attended the one-room Llagas School, Live Oak High, and Cal Poly where he graduated with a degree in Agricultural Business Management. He was married soon after to Karen Leso and they had three daughters. After Bill divorced, he met his wife, Loreen Loftus Manning, and they were married in 1988, starting their 34 years together. Bill's passion was ranching, and he worked on various ranches in Nevada, Colorado and California before settling with his young family back in Morgan Hill. Bill bought a share of the Adams Family Ranch where he and his family raised horses, milk cows and other livestock. For seventeen years he also leased the 2,000acre Thomas Ranch above Anderson Lake where he pursued his ranching dream and ran 200 head of cattle. Bill was a San Jose firefighter for 27 years and loved to cook for the team at his station. He was well known for his delicious chili. Bill loved to participate in the Firefighter's Rodeo, winning a few belt buckles in the team penning competition. After Bill retired from the fire department in 1999, he also retired from ranching and went to saddle-making school. He then turned his love of leatherwork from a hobby into a family-run business and started Tumbleweed Saddlery out of his shop at the ranch. He and Loreen also traveled for many years to rodeos and western fairs selling his saddles and tack, along with other adventures including Australia, Norway and Denmark, and much of the U.S. Family was very important to Bill and he worked extensively on his genealogy. He was proud of his ancestors. Bill was a storyteller about his ancestry and loved talking about his heritage, 42 California Cattleman October 2021
he had many students and friends that regularly came to practice working their dogs out in the pasture at his Morgan Hill ranch. He was a lifetime member of the Redwood Empire Sheep Dog Association and sponsored a trial at the Santa Clara Fair for many years. Over the years as he and his late wife Mary raised their children, Gordon was a 4-H leader and FFA supporter. He used to host kindergarten field trips at the ranch, and he gave many sheep shearing demonstrations at his grandchildren's schools. For many years Gordon hauled sheep right into downtown San Jose so people could experience his amazing Border Collies at the "Bark in the Park." Gordon is survived by children: Terri Arduain, George Contival (Julie), Linda Lego, Peggy Hebert (Danny), Rosemary Feldman, Laura Rockwell (Sam), Gordon Contival Jr., Sandra Brisendine (Sandy was also his loving caregiver for eight years), and Rick Contival (Sherry). He was the proud grandparent to 19 grandchildren, 38 great grandchildren and seven great, great grandchildren. Gordon was predeceased by his older sister Georgette Fleisher and his wonderful wife Mary Catherine Contival. He and Mary enjoyed raising and showing sheep, being part of the Santa Clara County Fair and traveling for dog trials and family vacations that sometimes included children and grandchildren. Always the cowboy, he was quite a spectacle in Hawaii wearing his traditional cowboy hat, Hawaiian shirt, jeans shorts and of course cowboy boots. Gordon will be interned with Mary at their family plot in Burney. A memorial gathering will be planned for a future date. remembering details with ease. He was also a poet and wrote numerous poems for family and friends, once winning a talent contest on a Princess Cruise for his cowboy poetry. Bill was a longtime member of the Morgan Hill Lions Club. Bill was a wonderful husband, father, brother, brother-inlaw and friend and will be missed by many. He is survived by his loving wife Loreen Adams, his brothers Raymond Johnson (Sally) and Wallace Adams, sister Patricia Near, brother-in-law Robert Loftus, his daughters Melissa Dean (Mark), Rebecca Pasquinelli (Tim), and Sarah Simon (Joe), stepsons Eric (Ann) and Michael (Maya) Manning and his grandchildren Eliza, Eric (Rebekah), Evan and Ethan Dean, Michael Hobbs, Gabriella and Reece Pasquinelli, Brandon (Jessica), Morgan, Shea, Brady, Maysen, Dominic (Hannah) and Brayden Manning and great grandsons Ben Hobbs and Darien Manning, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Bill was preceded in death by his parents Chet and Meda Adams, brother Walter Johnson and sister Winifred Baker. Bill valued his camaraderie with his fire department comrades and with his ranching friends. Those days were some of his best. Bill was quite the cowboy; roping, riding and the love of the land. Bill was an old soul and a man to be trusted. He still believed that a handshake was a bond. Bill fought the good fight against his cancer, multiple myeloma, for eight and a half years. He beat the odds and fought like he lived, with determination, strength, positivity and a "can do" non-complaining attitude. He gave it his all and fought right to the end, many times, that he had "a good run" and was so fortunate for his good and happy life and that he was able to do everything in his life that he set out to do. Bill has left us with a rich history, a legacy of love and large cowboy boots to fill!
