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.
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.
We’ve been riding a ranching roller coaster. This experience often brings us to the place where we just want to be held. We love having our hills green by Thanksgiving, but that didn’t happen. The hills were not green by Christmas either. So, we waited, trusting. However, the hills were still not green by Valentine’s day so all our cows and babies were shipped to San Joaquin to a feed lot. That decision was made after feeding out three barn loads of hay. Papa with his tractor would load our RTV Kubota’s with hay and off we would go, up into the hills to hand-deliver feed.
While the cows and babies were away, hail hit our hills.
The natural feed and the hills have simply not recovered.
Just Be Held
Many other crazy events have happened in our lives so we are trusting in God to see how He puts the Grieb Ranch back together. As the words from Casting Crowns’ song Just Be Held explains, “Your world’s not falling apart, it’s falling into place.”
There’s nothing like a roundup to bring ranch people together. Grieb Ranch family members and trusted ranch hand friends pulled together to gather bulls, cows and calves in order to vaccinate, de-horn, castrate, ear tag and brand the animals. The fun family day put the hands of helpers aged 2 to 92 to work. Working together they processed the whole herd making the Grieb Ranch roundup a fun success.
Planning for a Roundup
Planning for a roundup involves many aspects from getting the vaccine trays, de-horning and castrating equipment, plus branding devices all together to planning enough food for feeding all the ranch hands and family.
Many Grieb Ranch Family Members Worked the Roundup
A variety of extended Grieb family members had a role: Papa brought up the feed for the cattle and hauled out debri while Amanda kept Papa company.
Little Mr. L at age five performed his first castration.
Connie planned the food and directed activities. Daniel led the ground crew.
Brian cooked the meat for the roundup lunch. It was really great this year to have the food ready to eat rather than wait around for a BBQ to get started.
Records of Work Done is Vital at a Roundup
Each one of the cattle received a multivitamin injection, along with needed vaccinations and a de-wormer. Records must be kept of all injections for cattle being shipped. Ear tags are also attached and go in the left ear in each animal. Ear tags contain important information for each animal like their registration number if purebred, the cow number above the calf number or animal’s name. On the back goes the bull number when available and the date of birth. Here’s a chart of all the recorded info kept for each animal.
Date
Product
Serial Number
Expiration
Route/location
Lot
1/2/2021
Inforce 3 2ml
463630A/455024
3/15/22
Intranasal
476540
Inforce 3 2ml
463605A/464251
3/1/22
473026
Covexin8 5ml
2280B/501
11/1/2021
SQ neck
Covexin8 5ml
2246C/502
5/2/21
SQ neck
One Shot BVD 2ml
439283A/420258
2/1/2022
SQ neck
472294
Multimin 5ml
B2004021
April22
SQ neck
Roundups are a Family Affair Enjoyed with Friends
Roundups truly are a family affair and many hands make light work. Local ranch hand friends make the rounds and show up to help out with other rancher’s roundups through the roundup season.
We have many generations working and lending a hand on the Grieb Ranch. Mostly we are thankful for the blessing of working with several generations, but sometimes it can be quite challenging.
The Challenge of Working With Different Generations
Recently I (Connie) experienced one of those challenging times. It went like this…
I needed some help putting up a tent shade area on our property. So, thinking about who could help me best, I asked the former-kid who could transform Transformers without instructions. I thought I was asking the right person for help and to sweeten the idea, he said, “sure.”
The Project Disaster
Almost from the get-go the project proved to be a disaster…wrong parts stuck together…falling parts became near misses…not enough hands…heightened frustration…
Finally, I suggested that the computer wiz go google the instructions and even watch a YouTube video of the assembly. He came back with a list of the parts and a diagram of the numbered pieces. We went back at it. It was better but the frustration continued. Eventually, without success, we stopped trying to assemble the tent shade.
The Project Solution
However, I was not thwarted. Awake in the middle of the night, I went online to search the project. Imagine my surprise and joy to find written step-by-step instructions and a three-minute fast speed video of how to put up the very shade shelter we were struggling with.
So, the next morning I re-approached the project with my same assistant. I told him, “We can do this.” This time we followed the step-by-step instructions and got it done.
The Project Lesson for Generations
Then it hit me, that project experience is like our relationship with God. I shared this with my next-generation assistant. Here’s the lesson, God has all the instructions to an abundant life, but so often we fail to read the instructions. We stand by watching those who are blessed, yet wondering what we are doing wrong. We would rather do it “our way” which results in having to experience unnecessary frustration and failure.
Well a few months later… Do you think I learned my lesson? We had another shade tent needing assembly. I thought I remembered how to put the tent together, but no, the pieces were just not going together. Remembering my late-night discovery last time, I went back to the owner’s manual. Such a great reminder for the importance to check in with God and read the owner’s manual daily. We need to refresh and renew our relationship with God in order to be sure the pieces of our lives fit together properly.
Lesson Scripture Passages
Two passages of scripture came to mind as I drew wisdom from this valuable lesson:
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Acts 17:11b “ . . .for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
Animals, people, the ranch they all have needs despite a Covid shutdown. We are thankful for family members who pitched in to be sure Papa and Grandma kept up their appearances. Papa got his hair cut by family members.
New puppies needed training and there were plenty of willing hands with Mr. P and Mr. L for the job.
Daniel had great help building new fences. Missy R helps her dad measure the fence line.
Day care restrictions provided time for kids to help with ranch duties like fence building or gathering replacement heifers to a safer place for them to calve.
Daniel had extra hands to help bring in the replacement heifers to a safer place for them to calve.
Lots of fun is had at the ol’ swimming hole. We love hearing stories of the older generations enjoying the same spot. Now it has two rope swings and a platform for kayaks.
There is always much to do and places to go just here on our ranch. Life at Grieb Ranch moves ahead despite the shutdown.
Ranch kids enjoy so many fun activities that their non-ranch companions may never get the chance to experience. All kinds of kids have fun on a ranch and not just human kids, goat kids get their fair share of fun activities too.
Easter Fun with all the Grands
Ranch kids get to experience new life throughout the year as calves are born, goat kids arrive, bunnies appear and chicks peck through egg shells. New life is celebrated at Easter, and so are cute kids. Grieb Ranch had all the grands together for a fun Easter pic, complete with a kid goat.
Baby Kid Delivery
Mama Goat and Kid doing well.
Sometimes new life appearing needs a little help from the ranch hands. This momma goat had a tough delivery with Connie to the rescue to bring this new life into the world. Mama goat and baby kid were good to go a few hours after delivery.
Electrical Fencing Keeps Kids In and Out
Red wires are hot and green are ground wires
Electrical fencing is employed often to keep goat herds contained. The fencing keeps both adult and kid goats inside. Little ranch hands soon learn the red wire is hot and the green wires are ground wires. Electrical fencing keeps goat kids in and human kids out.
Ranch Kids Learn to Count with Ear Tags
Think back to the games you may have played learning to count past 100 . . . betcha only a handful of you may have learned to count past 100, and identify the numbers, while helping grandma with the ear tags. Ranch hand P gets the ear tags ready while keeping the numbers to 110 in order.
So many memories and life skills are developed everyday on a ranch where there are kids of all kinds doing fun things.
