George Eugene Ribble

     George Eugene Ribble, born August 11, 1930, passed away on April 9, 2022 in Bakersfield, California. He was 91 years old.

      Known as George to some and Gene to the family, he was born in Minneapolis, MN to Dr. George BT Ribble and Helen von Hippel Ribble. His father was a Doctor in the Navy and as a family they lived in many places including Oregon, California, Illinois, Brazil and North Carolina.  His parents finally settled in San Diego at their retirement. Gene was always interested in how things worked and loved the “Wild West”.

     Gene was a graduate of the University of Arizona with a Bachelors Degree in Business and Engineering. Here he met his wife, Helen Romley, and together they shared 56 years. According to Gene they knew how to have a good time. His first job took them to Jamaica with Reynolds Mines for a year. He came to the Kern County Water Agency in 1965 as an Engineer after six years with the Core of Engineers in Los Angeles. He was a Registered Civil Engineer and a Registered Geologist. At the Agency he was the Assistant Manager and administered State and local water agencies. He was very well respected by his colleagues and retired after 26 years with many accomplishments under his belt, including authoring a book, “Kern County Grows when Water Flows”.

     Gene loved the mountains over the beaches, playing ping pong and tennis. He always cheered on his Wildcats in football and basketball. He also loved to hike and spent time discovering the Grand Canyon trails. He and Helen enjoyed seeing much of the world on their travels.

     At retirement, Gene and Helen enjoyed time in Flagstaff, Arizona and Nipomo, California. He was also a tutor at Bakersfield Community College an Allen Hancock Community College. He was a lover of math and helped many students “get their numbers”. His favorite piece of advice was “be the best you can be”. He was active in his Assisted Community, “Columbus Estates”, spending time with new friends and even starting a singing group.

     Gene was preceded in death by his wife Helen, daughter Beverly Layman; and son Arthur.  He is survived by his granddaughter Shelby Morice and great grandchildren Calen, Jaime and Cadence Morice, and extended family in Phoenix.

      The family would like to thank the folks at Windsor Post Acute Care for the wonderful care Gene received for the last year of his life.   

     Graveside services will be held at Greenlawn Memorial Park Northeast at 12:00 noon on Tuesday, April 26, 2022.