Tall in the saddle he may stand, roping, riding or penning he’s quite a hand.
Those hands that hold those reigns have held a flashlight at dawn or at night to get in the cows or hold a coon in the light. His faithful dog make it turn out right.
Many a friend he’s helped when caught in a lurch.
Those same hands at home, in church have held your hand in prayer to acknowledge his Savior & Lord is there.
Seventy-Five years ago I held his hand and we took our vows and he’s been faithful ’til now, altho all you girls are special in your own way, we too have both been blessed….what can I say!
Are you getting close?
As a young man he held in those hands 3 daughters one by one and even a son…and now 6 Grandkids + 3 and 4 Greats…all 1st rate!
Some of you may be a part of our family by being a “son” or “daughter ” and our home your home, you felt like our own. Whether you call him Papa, Brother, Carl or friend , he’ll be true to the end.
This guy has don’t lots of things from milking, riding the range to running a crane. His word is his bond, you can count on that!
You’ve sat by his side at a campfire or two ’cause he’ll go camping or fishing with you…at any excuse. Give him a truck and a horse between his knees, he’s quite easy to please.
If this guy seems perfect you’ll have to admit …he’s got one fault we’d like to forget. If you’re gathering cattle and you ain’t in your place and you think you’re doing quite well …it may be possible you would hear him YELL! but don’t take it to heart…’cause he does treat us quite well.
Leonard “Carl” Grieb a native of Arroyo Grande and lifetime resident of the Central Coast passed away March 3, 2026, at the age of 97, in his home, surrounded by his loving family. He was looking forward to being reunited with his bride of 75 years, Barbara, who passed away in May 2025.
Carl was born July 27, 1928 to Fred and Gertrude (Haven) Grieb and was the 8th of 9 children, all of whom have proceeded him in death.
Carl graduated from Arroyo Grande High School in 1947 and he married the love of his life, Barbara Lucille Decker, February 12, 1950. They have 3 daughters, Wynetta (Kevin) McClain and Margie (Scott) Runels of Oregon and Connie (Stan) Willems of Arroyo Grande. They have 9 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, 4 great-great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Carl was a dairy farmer in the 1950’s, an operating engineer for 25 years with Engel and Gray, of Santa Maria and always a cattle rancher and horseman. He accomplished so many things that most people would never even attempt.
In the early years he loved to run his hound dogs and enjoyed hunting a few nights a week. After retirement he enjoyed team penning, pack trips, hunting, cowboying and helping others. He was a good provider and very generous. He had a very strong work ethic, which he passed on to his daughters at an early age and loved competition. Even as a young boy Carl loved to buy, sell and trade. The story is even told of him trading away his sister, Lorna’s cat! Even up to a couple of years ago he was still buying, selling and trading goats, pigs and cattle.
Carl was an avid reader, did suduko and loved a good game of Sorry. He loved to laugh, he loved his caregivers and he always loved a good practical joke. He was the best friend anyone could ever have and he always helped anyone who needed it. He loved his Lord and most of all his wife and family.
The legacy of Carl Grieb will live on for many generations.
A Celebration of Life and BBQ will be held April 11th, 11:00am at Grace Bible Church, 100 Rodeo Drive, Arroyo Grande.
In Lieu of Flowers, donations to honor Carl, who loved the youth and agriculture can be made to: Apela Foundation, Ag Adventure Day Camp, 4293 Lopez Dr. Arroyo Grande, CA 93420 Coastal Christian School, Ag Dept, 1005 N. Oak Park Blvd., Pismo Beach, CA 93449
*Having to go to Good News Club or Sunday School when you rather be out playing. *Always being encouraged to learn Bible verses. *Going to Bible camps and DVBS in the Summer & maybe even getting stuck with your mother as the teacher.
It meant… Helping around the house instead of watching cartoons on Saturday morning.
It meant… Getting up early to feed the animals before school in order to learn responsibility.
It meant… Being punished when you did something wrong and always being expected to tell the truth.
It meant… *Sharing your food and especially the cookies with every Tom, Dick or Harry who lost a loved one, had surgery or just was having a hard time. *Not knowing if your friends liked you for yourself or because your Mother was the best Homeroom Mother, 4-H leader or Sunday School teacher around.
It meant… Saying grace when you thought you were starving to death, and having family dinner devotions when you would rather be sleeping.
It meant… *Being kicked out of your bed for every missionary or singing group that came along. *Having to share your bathroom with several foster kids & exchange students over the years.
It meant… *Praying for a safe trip & then singing gospel choruses all the way to the destination, instead of listening to the latest songs on the radio.
Friendships are like little flowers in the garden of life.
They are watered with the tears of heartache and joy, and warmed with the sunshine of love.
Some are delicate and must be handled with care. Some are short lived and fade quickly.
But others last a life time and each year as life’s pruning shears cut deeper, the friendship and the friend become more beautiful . The roots go deeper , the thorns are easier to over look and their beautiful fragrance. Like pleasant memories linger on.
Barbara Grieb – Wife, mom, grandmother, aunt, cousin, friend – slipped away from us and into the arms of Jesus. Rejoice with us that she’s out of pain and with Jesus. Dad has lost his best friend and companion, many others mourn her loss yet rejoice in the hope of heaven.
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13 NLT
My Testimony Written by Barbara in 2004
I must say that through my life God has drawn me to Himself and put a bubble of protection over me. I was born in Los Angeles, CA. My parents did not go to church but both were raised with Christian values. My Dad was raised in a strict Christian home but rebelled and started drinking in High School. He was very good at sports and was very popular.
When I was two-years-old my mother started taking me to Sunday School and she was faithful to raise me a Christian, but only went to church on Easter and Christmas. She worked very hard to support me. But God had his hand on me and always gave me a desire to love God and learn more about Jesus. So when I was old enough I walked to the nearest church. When I was about four my Mother purchased a clothes cleaning business because my father would spend his money at the bar before he came home with his paycheck.
At that time God was dealing with me about accepting Him as my Savior but because I was afraid to be baptized (I would have to go under water…I almost drowned when I was four). I didn’t. But later in life I asked God, “When?” He had me remember a time my Mother, who was now divorced, was on a date and I repented of my sin and cried kneeling before a old rocking chair. Although at about 12-years-old, I didn’t have assurance I was saved because I didn’t obey church rules…like don’t go to movies do this and that.
When I was 12 & 13 my life had many changes. My parents divorced and there was no more fighting, drinking or being afraid of my father. My mother married again and my step-father was good to me. He was into drilling oil wells and in my senior year of High School they became very wealthy. Most of all I turned my life over to Jesus and wanted to be baptized to show He was my LORD. Soon after I met my now husband, Carl, who lived in Arroyo Grande, who was from a farm and cattle raising family. We wrote letters for five years. When I got a step-sister and brother who lived close to AG, I was able to see Carl about once a month. He too was a Christian and my faith continued to grow. I continued to work with the LORD through High School and now thru 54 years of marriage (updated 2020 70 years). In 2004, Carl and I have three daughters who love the Lord. We have seven grandchildren and seven great-grandsons and they all live on our ranch except two in Oregon. We are blessed to see them also growing in the Lord.
At 19 I dedicated my life to the Lord to serve him wherever the Lord led me. Since I had a new baby and my husband and I had a dairy, I began to teach Sunday School and then Junior Church. In 1957 God called me to reach children and I became a Child Evangelist and do a a weekly Bible Class in a neighborhood, labor camp or whatever town or home he lead me to. I love to teach women and children and especially boys, as I was a tomboy growing up on a block of boys. Today camping and riding horses are still my favorite things to do – Beach Meadows in the Sierra’s was a favorite.
I feel so privileged to be here to teach women and children as God gave me a love to do that. I love the The LORD Jesus and his Word the Bible. It is true and if we follow it we will have a full and abundant life as He has promised. In my life and in my family we have experienced divorce, abuse, suicide, rejection, death, drought and loss of business, cancer and many trials. But Jesus has been there and took us through every time. He is a wonderful Savior.
Bread making was Lorna Grieb Erickson favorite thing to do. She loved family get-togethers and over a period of years, created a wonderful recipe for homemade pizza that greatly pleased her family. Everyone looked forward to the pizza night as a special occasion. Lorna prepared the dough; then each family member could customize the pizza with toppings of their choice.
Everyone was all smiles as they put the pizza creations in the oven to bake.
The aroma was irresistible, with the family huddled around the oven in anticipation of the tasty bread and delicious cheesy/meaty toppings. All enjoyed the hands-on experience making their customized pizzas, and were all satisfied with the results.
Everything tasted better because all participated in making the pizzas together. Love and harmony in a warm kitchen.
It is a wonderful thing that this tradition is still being passed down from Lorna’s children to grandchildren and now to great-grandchildren.
Recipe for Grandma Lorna’s Homemade Pizza
Ingredients:
1 cup hot water
1 cup milk or 1 C cold water mixed with 1/3 C dry milk
1 tablespoon salt
1/3 Cup shortening
1 pkg. active dry yeast
½ cup sugar
6-7 cups all purpose flour
Home Made PizzaInstructions
In a mixer bowl mix together hot water, milk or water and dry milk, salt and sugar. Add shortening and yeast. Add 4 level cups of flour and mix on low.
Beat until smooth and elastic. Add 2 to 2 ½ cups more flour with mixer still on low speed. Dough should be soft and pliable but not sticky.
Cover and let dough raise for 15 minutes to ½ hour.
Grease 3 pizza pans. Divide dough into 3 parts and press into the pans forming a thin crust. Cover with small amount of desired pizza sauce and sprinkle with dry ground oregano. Cover sauce with grated Colby jack cheese. Add additional toppings as desired.
Preheat over to 375 degrees and bake pizzas for 15-20 minutes or until desired doneness.
Cattle ranching this year has been an adventure. Since we have received no rain until recently, most of our cattle were sent to Oregon. Yet, we did enjoy a wonderful, happy, healthy year with hours spent checking the cattle water (for the remaining cattle). Off the ranch we spent time going to church, the park and other local outings. We also have a new dog named Ruby.
Mom (Barbara Grieb) helps us keep everything in perspective and remind us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Being blessed with an abundance of persimmons this year we blessed others and wished them a Merry Christmas with goodies baked from our family recipes for Persimmon Cookies and Persimmon bread. Christmas blessings to you from the Grieb Ranch.
It should have been a cold, dreary, foggy day but it wasn’t. The sun shone down brightly from a clear azure sky. Shortly before 8 a.m. trucks rumbled into the driveway, halting just inches from the split-level house and the tree beyond.
Oh Yes, The Old Oak Tree
Oh yes, the tree. The tree situated just beyond my back fence at the Grieb Farmhouse. That’s the reason for all the commotion. Several days before, the neighbor had received the bad news from an arborist that the old oak tree must come down. Its center was filled with dry rot and termites. It was now a safety hazard. She was heartbroken, as the grand old tree was one of the reasons she purchased the house.
The Take Down
Four Men Were Up to the Task
Four men, strong, fit and agile were up to the task of taking down the beautiful, graceful tree. Armed with ladders, long-handled pruners, chain saws, ropes, hydraulic bucket lift and a crane; these men were ready for action.
In spite of the fact that taking down the tree was upsetting and depressing, it was fascinating to watch the men expertly orchestrate this huge take down.
Two of the men effortlessly ascended the immense tree, and with their equipment, systematically and methodically brought down the twigs, branches and smaller limbs in a circular fashion for safely reasons to prevent injury to them, the house and the balance of the tree itself. Another man hauled branches to the grinder and the remaining man fed the branches into the machine. All the small and medium branches were removed, ground up or sawed into big logs. At days end, the old tree’s skeletal frame was still standing naked and tall against the sky. A sad sight to see.
Loss Brings Thoughts of the Past
The loss of the tree brings up thoughts of the past, the history of this living tree that has survived wind, rain, drought and floods during its 150 plus years of life. It played a part in the Grieb family history as it was one of the original oak trees on the Grieb Family Farm established in circa 1872. It represents a piece of the original landscape. It also represents the strength and resilience our ancestors had in carving out a rewarding and prosperous life through labor and hardship. Going back further in time, it provided shelter for pioneers and its’ acorns food for the Chumash Indians. Birds and animals nestled in its ample branches. Children were drawn to climb and play on the sturdy limbs.
A Stump and Heaps of Sawdust
Just a Stump Remained
The final workday of the tree takedown, the workers tediously labored to remove the largest limbs. The crane assisted in lifting the heavy limb sections into the truck. The workers’ expertise and experience made the daunting task seem so easy. At the end of day two, all that remained of the magnificent, ancient oak tree was a stump and heaps of sawdust. At the end of its life, the tree was estimated to be 60 inches in diameter with limbs 30 inches around. The tree lived over a century and its’ life ended in only two work days (14 hours of tough physical labor).
Perhaps a New Oak Tree
Sandi Erickson Ferrio and The Old Oak Tree
Without the stately tree, the yard seems bare and open, but bright sunshine bathes my yard. Light pours into my windows and my view is expanded from a few feet to a few miles. I can see Mt. Picacho across the valley. All that physically remains for me, are several slices of a smaller limb that one of the workers kindly left for me, neatly stacked in my yard. The tree is missed, but who knows, maybe one of those plentiful acorns will root itself and grow into a new living oak tree for future generations to enjoy. Life goes on. The tree is gone, but our growing family tree will thrive and survive.
Every Fall Barbara Grieb would make this cake for Doctors, Mailmen, and others who so kindly served the Grieb family throughout the year. This Caramel Glazed Pear cake recipe came from the Telegram Tribune. The cake is made with oil rather than butter, but there is butter in the glaze. This yummy cake is chock-full of diced pears and roasted pecans for the quintessential fall dessert.
Instructions for Caramel Glazed Pear Cake
Caramel Glazed Pear Cake
4 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled and diced (about 3 cups) sprinkle with 1 TBS sugar – set aside
Beat together with mixer
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
Sift Together
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
In a large mixing bowl, add liquid ingredients to dry Ingredients – MIX
Fold into cake mixture (with heavy wooden spoon) diced pears and 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped roasted pecans.
Bake
70 minutes at 350 degrees in a greased and floured 10 inch Bundt Pan or Angel Food Cake Pan
OR small pan with half the recipe and then bake 35 mins an hour.
When done remove from pan and poke with fork tines
Prep time 10 mins Cook time 70 mins Total time 1 hour 20 mins
Caramel Glaze DRIZZLE Prep
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tbls butter
1/8 cup evaporated milk or cream
1 tsp vanilla
Stir together brown sugar, butter, and evaporated milk in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, 2½ minutes or until sugar dissolves.
Pour the warm caramel glaze over the cake allowing it to drip down the sides.
