Stephen Douglas Tilford passed on Jan. 28, 2020, from complications from a dental procedure done locally. Steve was born on July 30, 1930, at St. Francis Hospital to Douglas Tilford and Caroline Martin Tilford.

Steve attended local schools and graduated Santa Barbara High School class of 1948. He enlisted in the Air Force, married Marlen Squirer in 1954, and started working in the sheet-metal business.

They moved to Carpinteria and had two children, Lisa and John, living there until 1969. He started his own company, Tilford Welding, that same year.

During this time, he got divorced and started off-road racing, in the Baja 1000, Mint 400 and many more. He later was support crew for an IMSA car, and numerous land-speed projects. He was the go-to guy for welding jobs out of the normal.

His son, John, joined him in the late 1970s; together they had many adventures with racing and hot rod projects, occasionally being written about, which he always downplayed as just doing his job.

He married Virginia Wood, retired in 1989, and moved to Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, and later Spokane, Wash., until 2012. That year he came back to Carpinteria to live out his days.

He had one more project in him; so at the age of 83 he started helping Martin Loge build an aluminum body for his Maserati 450 project car. He had a great time helping with this project, which turned out to be his swan song.

Dad leaves behind ex-wife, Marlen; ex-wife, Virginia; daughter, Lisa Kelly (Conrad); son, John (Janet); grandsons Stephen Corral (Lily), Greg Corral (Lucia); great grandkids Sophia, Matteo, Simone, Gianna. He fondly remembered Dick and Don Stevens, Kelly Conley, Stacy Moore and numerous long-time customers.

I think Dad would like to be remembered with a smile and a nod.