Miles Standish Oswald Sr. & Jr.

Joint Obituary for Miles Standish Oswald Sr. and Miles Standish Oswald Jr. Both Miles Standish Oswald, Sr. and Miles Standish Oswald, Jr. passed away this year. Miles Sr. (AKA “Super Pa”), left us on the morning of July 16th, 2023 from Ukiah, CA. Miles Jr. (AKA “Milesito”, “Mozzy”) left us on April 18th from Lawndale, CA.

Miles Sr.

Miles Sr. was born in Palo Alto, CA to H.A. and Beatrice Oswald in 1953. He spent his early years in Palo Alto before his family moved to Ukiah to pursue farming endeavors. He completed grade school at St. Mary of the Angels and spent his time playing sports, exploring the outdoors and learning the trade from his father, Grand Oz.

He completed high school at Bellarmine College Preparatory, where he mastered his pool, cards and ping-pong abilities. He would routinely school his 4 boys in ping-pong in the garage when they were growing up. He then graduated with Bachelors Degree in Spanish from Fresno State

University. During his time at FSU, he spent a year abroad in Madrid Spain, where he perfected his Spanish and gained his love for travel and adventure.

He met his wife, Tracey, over 42 years ago. They had 4 boys: Miles Jr., Quincy, Max and Shane, in order of age. He was a devoted father, who committed time and resources to give his sons an upbringing ripe with opportunity. He taught them how to play sports and coached countless youth teams. He passed on a passion for fishing and instilled a love for camping and the great outdoors. He showed them what hard work, sacrifice and dedication looked like in practice. He loved his immediate family more than anything in this world and he demonstrated that love every day.

Miles Sr. was a farmer at heart; he owned and managed the Oswald Pear Ranch for over 30 years. He provided employment for hundreds of people and helped many around Ukiah achieve their personal goals through his caring management style. Additionally, he spent many years working various roles, from salesman to President, at the family winery, Husch Vineyards. He also owned and ran a tavern on the Oregon coast in his younger years and started a wine label with his older brother, Ken, in the mid 2000s called Standish Wine Co. There was nothing he loved more than watching his sons play sports, whether it was Miles or Shane playing water polo, Quincy playing basketball or Max wrestling, he enjoyed them all equally. Miles Sr. was generous, charismatic and full of excitable energy. He made every occasion better with his lively conversation, unique commentary and jovial personality. We’ll miss you, Super Pa.

Miles Jr.

Miles Jr. was born in Ukiah, CA in 1990. His schooling included the COOP nursery, Hopland Elementary, St. Mary of the Angels, Ukiah High and California State University Northridge. Miles was a rambunctious boy, who was known to hide from his teachers at preschool, only to cause panic in the frantic search for him which sometimes took multiple hours. When Miles was eventually found, he’d have a big grin on his face.

He grew up playing sports and computer games, which earned him the title of computer wizard amongst his family. He was a great swimmer, and played water polo for the inaugural Ukiah High School boys water polo team. After high school, Miles went on to graduate from CSU Northridge with a Bachelor's degree in accounting. He held an internship at a top-8 national accounting firm which turned into a full time role. Over a ten year career, Miles earned the designation of Senior Manager, held a Certified Public Accounting (CPA) license, mentored and trained countless associates and completed thousands of client projects. He loved sports, music and spending time with people. His free time typically included going to new restaurants, concerts and spending his Sundays watching the 49ers. He was friendly and outgoing - he made connections wherever he went and people always remembered their time with him, even if it was a 5 minute interaction. Miles was incredibly generous, both with his time and resources. It was impossible to pay for dinner with Miles and he’d often drop what he was doing to be there to support you. Miles was fun-loving and made the most out of life - he sought out new experiences and lived in the present every single day. We’ll miss you, Milesito.

Miles Sr. and Miles Jr. leave behind a family of 4: Tracey (mother and wife), Quincy, Max and Shane Oswald (sons and brothers). Although their line has been broken, their name will live on. Their spirits and memories remain cherished by their close family and friends. In lieu of charitable donations or flowers, the Oswald family asks that you go fishing, plant a tree and be happy.