Mike Singh, a longtime King City resident, passed away on September 27, 2017 with his daughters by his side.
Mike was born in Delano, California on June 15, 1928, the son of Sonder and Emily Singh. He lived in the Central Valley during his youth and worked on the family farm until he entered the U.S. Army. During his time in the military, he served during the Korean Conflict as a stateside military police officer, which included providing security for atomic bomb testing. After he was discharged from the military, he worked at various jobs, including truck driver, before returning to his farming roots.
He married Claire Olson on June 6, 1964, and together they had three daughters. Mike was a self-taught farmer who grew a wide array of fruits and vegetables over his lifetime. The family moved to King City in 1972 when Mike accepted a job with Southdown Land Company. After ten years with the company, he accepted a new position with Naraghi Farms and the family moved back to the Central Valley. Mike developed land in the Madera and Modesto areas, primarily planting orchards, until the company acquired a vineyard in San Lucas, and Mike and his family moved back to the family home in King City. He managed the vineyard until his retirement. After retirement, he worked with local ranchers to create vineyards that produced award-winning wines and was one of the first ranchers in Monterey County to plant pomegranates. At home, Mike kept a large garden that produced many vegetables for friends and family. Mike enjoyed being a farmer and took great pride in his garden, vineyards, and orchards.
Mike enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, working in his garden, cooking, and traveling. His Indian and Mexican dishes were enjoyed by everyone. Mike was an active, long-time member of Grace Lutheran Church and was a regular fixture in the second pew. He also enjoyed meeting with other farmers over a cup of coffee in the morning. In recent years, he traveled to India to visit the town from which his family had emigrated; he also visited Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and Vancouver, Canada during family vacations. He was a great storyteller and enjoyed sharing tales of his work, military service, and family.
Mike is survived by his loving daughters, Cynthia (Simon Chavera, Jr.), Tiffany, and Heather, his granddaughter, Alexandra Claire Chavera, sisters-in-law Shirley Harpain, Neva Adamson, and Judy (Doug) LaBrecque, Michaela Singh, brothers-in-law Johnny Rodriguez and Genero Perez, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his wife of 31 years, Claire.
The family would like to express their tremendous gratitude to Dr. Doug LaBrecque (Uncle Doug) for his advice, guidance, and exceptional medical knowledge during Mike's brief illness. They would also like to thank Dr. Kumar for the excellent care he provided to Mike for over 30 years, and the caring, compassionate nurses at Stanford Medical Center.
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visitation will be held on Saturday, October 7, 2017 from 10:00am – 12:30pm at Eddington Funeral Services Chapel. Funeral services will follow at Grace Lutheran Church at 1:00pm with interment immediately following at King City Cemetery. A reception will follow at the King City Firehouse.
