Albert Joseph Obermueller Jr.
Albert Joseph Obermueller Jr.
Albert Joseph Obermueller Jr.
Albert Joseph Obermueller Jr., a Wisconsin native, died at his home in Esparto, Calif., on May 16, 2024, after a nine-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 84.
Obie, as most people called him, was born April 12, 1940, in Hudson, Wis., the second of Albert and Rosella (Strehlo) Obermueller’s three children that also included his older sister LaVonne and younger sister Eileen.
At age 3, Obie moved with his family to a farm in Glenwood City, Wis., where they raised dairy cows and grew hay oats and corn. He attended Pine Heights Elementary School, a one-room schoolhouse, from the first through eighth grades, and graduated from Glenwood City High School in 1958.
Obie attended the University of Wisconsin at River Falls, the first in his family to go to college. He graduated in 1962 with a double major in agriculture and chemistry, then joined the U.S. Air Force officer training school in San Antonio, Texas.
He spent nine months in training to become a navigator, which he completed in 1965. From there, he learned to fly B-52s in Westover, Mass. He navigated the aircraft for 13 months, six of which he spent flying 84 Vietnam War combat missions while stationed in Guam, Okinawa and Thailand.
During his time in Guam, Obie met his future wife, Judith Brady, whom he married on Sept. 13, 1969, in San Diego. Although the marriage ended in divorce, the couple welcomed two children, Lauren and Kurt.
After completing his active duty, Obie spent 15 years in the Air Force reserves. During that time, he and Judy moved to Davis so Obie could pursue his graduate degree in agronomy at UC Davis. He graduated in 1972, and a year later the family purchased and moved to a 20-acre almond ranch in Esparto.
Obie retired from the Air Force reserves as a lieutenant colonel in 1984 after a total of 22 years of military service. In 1990, he became a self-employed crop insurance adjustor, investigating claims throughout northern California in addition to his farming work.
His retirement in 2008 allowed Obie to more fully enjoy his favorite pastimes such as travel (he visited all seven continents during his lifetime), bicycling, camping, hiking and other active pursuits.
He also gave freely of his time to numerous community service organizations, including the Esparto Lions Club (serving three terms as its president), Western Yolo Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7143, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Yolo County Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and Future Farmers of America, among others.
A Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in 2015 slowed Obie down physically, but he remained mentally sharp and never lost the dry sense of humor that many considered among his best qualities.
Obie is survived by his longtime partner, Rebecca Tauzer of Esparto; children Lauren (Obermueller) Keene of Davis, Calif., and Kurt Obermueller of Esparto; grandsons Ethan Keene and Aidan Keene of Sacramento; sisters LaVonne McCombie of Hudson, Wis., and Eileen Wheeler of Jacksonville, Ark.; along with many cousins, nieces and nephews.
A funeral Mass is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday, June 6, at St. Martin’s Catholic Church in Esparto, followed by burial at Capay Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, Obie’s friends are invited to make a contribution in his name toward a Parkinson’s disease research organization, then raise a cold beer to celebrate his memory.