Twining, Olive

Olive Twining - age: 96
(June 15, 1915 to June 18, 2011 )
Resident of Ukiah, California

Obituary:
Olive Twining
1915-2011

Olive Twining, a resident of Ukiah for 53 years, passed away June 18 at the age of 96.
She spent her childhood in Berkeley, California in the home of her mother Eloise Dyer and grandparents Charles and Louise Fife. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in botany. She was nominated for an outstanding student award for her achievements during college. While there she met the love of her life, Howard Twining, during a rock climbing outing. They were married in 1938 and lived in various California towns while Howard pursued a career in Fish and Game. Over the years, daughters Mary, Margery and Eloise joined the family. Howard served in the army during WWII. His letters home to his wife were preserved in the book “Dearest Olive,” written by daughter Margery Mitchell. Following the war they moved to Napa, California where they began farming, raising laying hens and always working side by side. In 1958 they moved to the Ukiah Valley, where they purchased a sheep and cattle ranch in the hills east of town, and later developed a vineyard of varietal wine grapes. One of Olive's projects on both ranches was a war on thistles. She spent months each spring hiking around eradicating them wherever she found them. Nearly every summer the family went on a backpack trip in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and also spent happy days at the family cabin at Echo Lake.
Humanitarian work strongly appealed to Howard and Olive. In the early 1960's they developed a private agricultural project in Cheran, Mexico. For the next 20 years, they spent part of every year in Cheran, and later Patzcuaro, developing community resources and helping the farmers of that area learn new farming skills. Olive befriended a small orphan named Miguel in Cheran, and financially assisted him through medical school to achieve his dream of becoming a doctor. He is now a respected gynecologist. Olive thought of him as her son.
Howard died in 1993, and Olive took over management of the ranch, living there until 2003 when she moved into town to live with daughter Mary.
Olive was a 4-H leader in both Napa and Ukiah, and she volunteered for 17 years in the Family Planning clinic in Ukiah with her good friend Dr. Beba Frey. She was a member of California Native Plant Society, Audubon Club, Nature Conservancy, and Sierra Club. She sang alto in the Ukiah Oratorio Society for many years.
Olive was a beloved wife and a devoted mother. Gardening was one of her great joys. She worked hard to make her surroundings beautiful. She was in harmony with the outdoors, and was a great steward of the land. Due to her influence, the family has protected the ranch property in a conservation easement. She received loving care at Dalistan’s Care Home in Ukiah, where she passed away three days after her 96th birthday.
Olive is survived by daughters Mary Bocchetti of Ukiah, Margery Mitchell (Alva) of Vale, Oregon, and Eloise Twining of San Francisco; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Donations in Olive’s name may be sent to Hospice of Ukiah.
A memorial service will be held in the fall, with details announced later.