Earle Wallin Favor entered the presence of God on Dec. 21, 2015, six days after his 93rd birthday.
Mentally sound but physically frail, he lived in his own home up until August 2015, when his body began failing him.
Born Dec. 15, 1922, to Lynn Earle Favor and Hildur Wallin Favor in Pasadena, California, he grew up in Altadena with his older brother, Stuart.
Earle enlisted in the U.S. Army after Pearl Harbor, and was selected to attend Officer Candidate School.
Sent to Seattle after his training and commissioning to serve in the Pacific Theater, he began a temporary assignment there developing, maintaining and repairing small military boats used to deliver supplies to large ships. His skill at this task led to a permanent job, and he directed the entire effort until World War II ended.
Thanks to the GI Bill, Earle attended the University of Southern California, graduating with a degree in accounting and completing law school. He married fellow USC student Alice Theal in 1949.
They settled first in Pasadena, where their four children were born, and then in Altadena. Earle practiced law in Pasadena with Jack Pettee before seizing the opportunity to work for Pickett Slide Rules and move with the company to Santa Barbara in 1964.
Calculators soon put an end to the slide rule business, and Earle returned to the law, joining the firm Sullivan, Roche and Johnson in Santa Barbara. Later he and Lester West formed West and Favor.
Toward the end of his career, Earle established Favor and Aijian with Mark Aijian, who took over the practice when Earle retired in 1987. Earle specialized in tax law and charitable giving, advising many nonprofit organizations in Santa Barbara, including Westmont College.
A scratch golfer as a young man, Earle played the game weekly all his life until age added too many strokes to his score. As a college student, he earned extra money hustling on the golf course.
He taught his children to golf at a young age and played with them early Sunday morning for years. Earle and Alice enjoyed playing courses throughout California during their retirement.
Earle served on the building committee for the Montecito YMCA facility on Santa Rosa Lane, and volunteered his time with groups such as Indian Guides and Indian Maidens.
He encouraged his children to get involved as well, and the family won a special award for their service to the Y in the 1960s.
In 1976, Earle and Alice joined El Montecito Presbyterian Church, and he chaired the building committee for major construction of new church facilities in the 1990s. A committed Christian, he led a Sunday school class for many years, served as an elder, volunteered as a leader with the Inquirer’s Class, and visited shut-ins.
Earle loved his family and spent much time with his children, quizzing them on state capitals and presidents at the dinner table, helping them with homework (especially mathematics), getting involved in their activities, and hosting their group parties at his home.
He is survived by Alice, his wife of nearly 67 years; his children, Nancy Phinney (Bob), Brad Favor (Nina), Kathleen Weyant (John) and Lynn Hertzfeld (Bruce); nine grandchildren, Sam Phinney, Jon Wentzel, James Wentzel, Alex Favor, Michael Favor, Charlie Favor, Christopher Weyant, Melissa Weyant, and Sarah Hertzfeld; and five great-grandchildren (with two more on the way).
To include as many of Earle’s children and grandchildren as possible (they live in Asia, Europe, Australia and the East Coast as well as California), the family hopes to hold a memorial service sometime this summer.