B. DeWayne Holmdahl, a former Santa Barbara County supervisor and longtime Lompoc City Council member who also served as a judge for wine competitions, died Sunday at age 84.
With roots in ranching and agriculture, he served on a number of elected and appointed boards spanning several decades in Lompoc and beyond.
From 1981 to 1989, Holmdahl represented the Fourth District on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.
“DeWayne was one of a kind, Lompoc’s renaissance man, a presence in the valley’s social and leadership for over 50 years. He will be truly missed,” Fourth District Supervisor Bob Nelson said. “DeWayne was a kind man and a friend to anyone who met him.”
Holmdahl also was elected to the Lompoc City Council, serving a total of 16 years from 1996 to 2008 and 2012 to 2016.
“DeWayne loved Lompoc! His public service reflects that but so did his attitude,” Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne said. “Even after he retired from the public eye, he was always contributing and supportive of the work being done. I will miss his insight and experience.”
He also served on the boards for the Santa Barbara County Fair, the Lompoc Unified School District, the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau and the Mission Hills Community Services District.
“His experience in government opened his eyes to the importance of making sure that government and private citizens worked together,” his obituary stated. “The needs of his community were of great concern to him. DeWayne continually looked to achieve workable solutions that maintained the rights of all people while promoting the common good.”
As the Santa Barbara County wine industry blossomed, Holmdahl carved out a new niche for himself.
“DeWayne played a large role in putting Lompoc Valley viticulture on the map,” Nelson said.
Holmdahl became a sought-after wine competition judge for the Santa Barbara County Fair and multiple times for the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, deemed the largest for North American wines.
He also hosted a wine show titled “Growing of the Grape to the Glass” on local radio station KUHL 1440.
He was a founding member of the Turducken Dinner Group, Lompoc Valley leaders who created a fundraiser centered on a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey to raise funds for the Lompoc Public Library.
His employment included ranching, radio station manager and retail worker along with land-use consultant and notary.
He graduated from Lompoc High School in 1956 and attended Fresno State College and California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo,, majoring in agriculture, from 1956 to 1961.
He is survived by his wife, Bonnie Brogan Holmdahl; sons and daughters-in-law Dennis and Bridgett of Irvine and Donald and Chris of Fort Stewart, Georgia; daughters Sherrie Beyer of Oklahoma and Theresa Cline of Howe, Oklahoma; stepson Micah Brogan and his wife, Karli; stepson Timoty Brogan and his wife, Amber Hamzeh; 13 grandchildren; and numerous great-grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. Feb. 4 at Cityview Community Church, 1600 Berkeley Drive in Lompoc.
Arrangements are being handled by Starbuck-Lind Mortuary.