Peter Passof, UC Cooperative Extension forestry advisor emeritus, passed away on Jan. 20. He was 88. The longtime Ukiah resident recently moved with his wife Flo to Fair Oaks near Sacramento.
Born in New York City, Passof attended Hofstra University for a year after high school. Then he traveled to California in 1955 with a friend whose family owned an almond orchard in Arbuckle. While working at the orchard, he met a local farmer’s daughter, Flo Nissen.
Passof attended Yuba City Junior College and served three years in the Army while Flo finished college at University of the Pacific. After earning his bachelor’s degree in forestry at Humboldt State University, Passof earned his master's degree in forestry from Yale. The married couple returned to California, where he worked for Simpson Timber Company in Arcata.
in 1966, Passof joined UC ANR as a UCCE forestry advisor in Mendocino County and later became the UCCE county director.
“He was my county director in Mendocino and was part of the hiring committee that got my career launched,” said John Harper, UCCE livestock and natural resources advisor emeritus. “Pete was a mentor to me as a CD and a personal friend that I cherished. He was always interested in UCCE,” added Harper, who officially retired in 2023, after 32 years in his UC Cooperative Extension advisor role, and returned for two more years to serve as county director until Matthew Barnes was hired.
Alongside UC Berkeley professor emeritus James Bartolome, Passof was one of the key architects of UC ANR’s Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program. IHRMP, which launched in 1986, was a partnership between the University of California, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and California Department of Fish and Game until it was ended in 2010 due to budget cuts.
Passof and UCCE specialists Jim Clawson and Lee Fitzhugh developed the “Guidelines for Managing Hardwood Rangelands,” the first multidisciplinary approach to conserving these important lands in California.
In 1993, Passof retired after nearly 28 years of service. After retirement, he worked as a consultant for UC ANR and Office of the President in Oakland from 1994 to 1999.
When he wrapped up his consulting work for UC ANR, Passof said he would focus his efforts on “restoring and customizing a 1950 Ford Woodie to be ready for June 24, 2000, at Woodies on the Wharf on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk!”
He was also involved in 4-H, served on the Ukiah Unified School District school board and was active in the Society of American Foresters.
“Pete was the most important mentor in my career in Cooperative Extension,” said Richard B. Standiford, UC Cooperative Extension forest management specialist emeritus and former UC ANR associate vice president.
“He brought level-headed calmness to any situation,” Standiford said. “So many forestry issues in the North Coast were contentious and polarized. Pete always brought a research-based approach to these issues and as a result, he was widely respected by forest landowners, the environmental community, the forest products industry and various governmental agencies.”
Over his career, Standiford said he spent many hours talking with Passof in meetings, car rides, field research visits and workshops. “Pete had an uncanny ability to cut to the root of an issue and find a creative solution,” Standiford said. “He was a first-rate forester, a good friend, and a loving husband, father and grandfather. I will miss Pete deeply.”
Kim Rodrigues recalled being interviewed by Pete Passof during the hiring process to become the UCCE forest advisor for Humboldt and Del Norte counties in 1991, which launched her 27-year career with UC ANR.
“He was a wonderful person and an exceptional role model for me,” said Rodrigues, who retired in 2018 as Hopland Research & Extension Center director. He remained an active mentor throughout my long career with UC ANR.”
Passof was an engaging public speaker with an unexpected sense of humor, she noted.
“He joked at my retirement party that he wanted to let everyone know that I wasn't responsible for the wildfires that erupted in Mendocino County following my retirement,” Rodrigues said. “He clarified that I was responsible for a prescribed burn CalFire implemented prior to my retirement, which was credited with protecting many structures and other resources at Hopland REC.”
“I am honored to own a few of his gorgeous bowls he designed and created as a skilled wood worker,” Rodrigues said, adding that she treasures the memories of visiting Passof, his wife Flo and daughter Tascha in Ukiah.
Passof is survived by wife Flo, daughter Tascha (Mike Whetzel), son Michael (Judy), grandchildren Megan (Mike Clark), Chad Passof (Sherley), Shannon Whetzel (Jack Brown), Sara (Josh Leifker), and Tanner Whetzel. He is also survived by sister Sandy (Russ Lauper) and numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will be held in the spring. Donations in his memory can be made to Histiocytosis Association (info@histio.org) or Guide Dogs for the Blind (P.O. Box 151200 San Rafael, CA 94915-1200).
Read more about Passof’s life at https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/pressdemocrat/name/peter-passof-obituary?id=60636132.