Hundreds gathered on Saturday at Christ the King Episcopal Church in Santa Barbara to celebrate the life of local icon and sports enthusiast Phil Womble, who passed away on January 23.
Womble lived a very big life.
Born in 1936 with cerebral palsy, Womble moved to Santa Barbara in the early 1960s.
An ardent supporter of UCSB athletics, Womble was inducted into the Gaucho Hall of Fame, the Santa Barbara Athletic Roundtable Hall of Fame, and the Santa Barbara Court of Champions, in addition to having multiple athletic awards named after him.
His 1994 autobiography Never Give Up! inspired many.
Womble served on the board of UCP Work, Inc., and was a key member of the Central Coast Cursillo movement.
The traditional service featured scripture readings, hymns, prayer, communion, and remarks from family and friends.
“He was such a special, special guy to all of us,” said Dave Pintard, longtime friend of Womble. “He was uncommonly special. The core essence of Phil was love.”
Pintard’s statements reflected the general sentiment among the five speakers at Womble’s memorial.
Womble’s brother-in-law, Arthur Spaulding, added, “Phil was an inspiration for all of us.”
His nephew, Art Spaulding Jr., said, “I consider myself the luckiest because I knew him.”
Another service was scheduled at UCSB on Sunday in the Phil Womble Hall of Champions.
— Noozhawk sports reporter Christian Eckert can be reached at ceckert@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports and @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.