It is with great sadness I note the passing of longtime PEPA member Tony Cobarrubia. Tony was born on November 15, 1929 in Jerome, AZ. The family moved to Oakdale, CA shortly after his birth. He attended schools in Oakdale and upon graduation he was drafted into the Army in 1951. He was discharged in 1953 and continued his education at Modesto Junior College and graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1957 with a poultry degree. He worked at Safeway in the Bay area and left to join Rainbow Farms/Valley Fresh Foods, Inc. (VFFI), in Turlock, CA. He worked for VFFI for over forty years retiring as President of the Company. Under Tony’s leadership, VFFI was a charter franchise of the Eggland’s Best Egg brand.
He was a member of the Pacific Egg & Poultry Association (PEPA), serving as President in 1984. Tony received PEPA’s Industry Person of the Year Award in 1993, and he was the Modesto/Stanislaus County Good Egg Award Recipient in 1999. He was recognized by the American Egg Board for his many years of service and the California Egg Commission for his exemplary service to the egg industry. Tony was instrumental in founding the Nation’s premier egg quality assurance program “aka” CEQAP. Tony is survived by his wife, Ellie, of 65 years, daughter, Amy Losson (Lee), sons Mark (Kristina) and Frank (Vanessa) and six grandchildren, Kiernan, Elizabeth, Sophie, Cristian, Diego and Pilar, two brothers, Raul and Cruz and sister Rose.
If desired, donations in memory of Tony may be made to Modesto Junior College, Modesto, CA, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Poultry Scholarship Department) or the Tony Cobarrubia Scholarship Endowment at the Western Poultry Scholarship and Research Foundation, 1521 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. The Cobarrubia Family is planning a private graveside service in Oakdale, CA. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tony’s family and his many friends in the poultry industry.
Debbie Murdock