06/01/2017
Celia Catare (Kester) Breyfogle, 84, of Palo Alto, California, was born April 29, 1933.
In 1951 she graduated high school in Knoxville, Iowa.
She was united in marriage to Newell Dwight Breyfogle (b.1930) son of George Gilson Breyfogle and Frances Elizabeth Hitchcock.
Celia’s cancer had returned and she has been in declining health for several months and in pain. She died Saturday, June 1, 2017.
She is survived by one son; David Bruce (b.1959)(Sally M. MACMASTER) Breyfogle, and two daughters Laura (b.1957) and Beth (b.1962) Breyfogle.
Newell Dwight Breyfogle and Celia C. Breyfogle, nee Cooper, were laid to rest at Santa Barbara Cemetery on September 1, 2017. While their final years were spent in Palo Alto, they lived in Santa Barbara for close to 50 years.
Newell died on September 12, 2015. Celia died on June 1, 2017.
They are survived by their three children, Laura Breyfogle of Palo Alto, David Breyfogle of La Mesa and Elizabeth Golland of San Diego; their spouses, David Warner, Chantal Breyfogle, and John Golland; their five grandchildren, Alexandra and Abigail Breyfogle Warner and Sam, Louise and Bonnie Breyfogle; and Newell’s brother Donald Breyfogle of Mondamin, Iowa.
Newell was predeceased by his brothers Robert, Alan, and Gary Breyfogle.
Born to George Breyfogle and Frances Hitchcock in Calumet, Iowa on April 17, 1930, Newell was raised on the family farm in Mondamin, Iowa. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Omaha where he played on the varsity basketball and baseball teams. After graduating, he joined the US Coast Guard, where he played on their baseball team and served as a medic in the North Atlantic earning an accommodation for bravery.
After earning his master’s degree from the University of Iowa, Newell coached high school basketball in Iowa Falls, Iowa, and junior varsity basketball at the University of Toledo. He then created one of the Jobs Corps’ first recreational programs in Astoria, Oregon where he also coached men’s basketball.
In 1965, Newell became a tenured professor of physical education at UCSB, as well as the assistant men’s basketball and baseball coach. He went on to coach the men’s golf team and also developed a popular coaching minor.
He was a member of the Alisal golf course and a long-time volunteer for the American Red Cross.
A keen interest in wilderness medicine culminated in his book ” The Common Sense Guide to Wilderness Medicine.” And, as with his father, brothers, children, and grandchildren, he was a wicked Cribbage player.
Celia was born to Lilian Bragg in Pershing, Iowa.
When Celia was eight, she was taken in by her aunt and uncle, Clara and Ray MacDonald, and lovingly raised in Knoxville, Iowa with her younger cousins Rocky, Denny, and Steve MacDonald. She trained as a registered nurse at Iowa Methodist Nursing School in Des Moines, Iowa.
Later, she returned to UCSF to earn one of the first nurse practitioner degrees in Gynecology.
She worked in several hospitals and clinics throughout her career, including the Veteran’s Hospital in Knoxville, Iowa, where she met her husband Newell.
Celia enjoyed a long career at UCSB’s Student Health Center including roles as director of nursing and later as associate director of the Health Center.
She was an avid advocate for women’s choice and a dedicated volunteer for Planned Parenthood. She loved reading, dancing, and cooking and reveled in family holidays.
She created at least three pies for every Thanksgiving dinner, a tradition that her family faithfully continues.