Nipomo pioneer left big footprints

Gazing out over the swollen creek and grassy hills that make up her family's 300-acre property, Patty Blythe watched her sons feed dozens of cows on the Nipomo ranch.

“My dad would have been so proud to see his grandsons right now,” she said.

Blythe's father, Harold “Bud” Walsh, lived all of his 76 years on that piece of land - a Nipomo cowboy who was known throughout the community for his red barn, quick wit and compassion for animals. He died Nov. 14 after a heart attack.

“This is a big loss; we loved him a lot,” Blythe said. “We really miss him.”

“Bud was just a big old softy with a big old growl, which was way worse than his bite,” said longtime friend Peg Miller. “I really loved Bud.”

When he was alive, Blythe said, her father always told her that he was going to be a legend, and his closest family members agree that he definitely lived up to that title.

“His knowledge and character will be missed the most,” said Rich Blythe, Walsh's grandson. “There's no replacement for him. ... His legacy will live on.”

Life for Walsh was centered on his big red barn, a landmark seen by thousands of motorists on the east side of Highway 101, off South Oakglen Avenue.

“He used to say he was luckier than the stars to live out here,” said Brian Blythe, Walsh's grandson.

While he farmed beans, grain and hay on the land in his younger days, in recent years he focused on his cattle, which he saw as pets and part of the family.

“He cared so much about those animals,” said Patty Blythe as she described times when she would have to scold her father for not eating because he spent too much time taking care of the cows.

“He put those animals before himself,” she said.

The 40 cows, two bulls and their 35 calves are trained so that when the white work truck takes off down the hill with hay piled high in the back, the animals come running through the pasture.

Walsh's family credits him with instilling in them a strong love of the outdoors and working the land, and they are committed to keeping the property in the family and preserving the cows' land. Patty Blythe said she's moving into the house soon with her husband.

“This was his heart and soul, and he sacrificed so much to make this property work,” she said.

Beyond his love for the land, Walsh also was known for telling funny stories and pulling pranks, his family said. His son, Harold Walsh, fondly remembered his father talking about how he would jack up police cars so officers wouldn't be able to chase him in their vehicles.

“He captured audiences with his story-telling - anyone from a teenager to adult,” Rich Blythe said.

Another family friend, Sharon Harmer, said it's Walsh's humor that she will always remember.

“Buddy had the friendliest smile, and if you were having a bad day and he was around, you would have been rolling in the dirt within a few minutes,” she said in a written statement. “ ... Buddy was like a tall, lanky, white-haired, mischievous little kid who seemed to be up to something all the time. You could see it in his smile and you saw it in his eyes.”

Even during his trying battle with colon cancer, he would joke with the hospital's nurses and take them to Jocko's Steakhouse restaurant in Nipomo. His daughter said Walsh was truly compassionate with others dealing with cancer, and just wanted people to smile.

His friends and family say losing him last month was a tragedy for the whole community, because he truly was a Nipomo pioneer.

“We're going to miss him a lot,” Miller said. “He's one of the old-timers here, and they are slowly disappearing.”

Randi Block can be reached at 347-4580 or rblock@santamaria

times.com.

December 12, 2006