Franz Reinhart Kegel

Kegel was born June 21, 1928, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to Friedrich and Margarete Kegel, German citizens who were living in the U.S. and teaching at Lehigh University. The Kegels moved back to Berlin, Germany, when Kegel was 10 years old, and he spent the World War II years there. As a dual U.S. and German citizen, Kegel returned to the U.S. in 1948 and worked on a ranch in San Mateo County. 

He attended UC Davis in 1948, was deployed to Korea, and then returned to Davis to earn his master's degree in agronomy.

In 1961, Kegel began his 30-plus-year UC career as a superintendent of field operations, later becoming 4-H advisor and ending his career as a UC Cooperative Extension field crops advisor, all in San Joaquin County. He had a great passion for the 4-H youth program and continued helping kids develop skills in field crops projects, 4-H camp and organized the area-wide 4-H sugarbeet field days at Spreckels Sugar plant in Manteca.

Kegel was known for his work in the San Joaquin/Sacramento Delta, especially in corn production and in Delta soils and salinity management, which later opened the door for the tremendous changes in cropping patterns we now see in the Delta. Sugar beets were an important crop during his tenure and he researched methods to reduce nematodes with cover crops and nitrogen management to increase sugar content, just to name two projects.

He always took pride in cooperating with UC specialists and professors from Davis, Berkeley and Riverside and felt that Cooperative Extension was the most valuable organization helping farmers and farm families. 

He married Bernette Gayle Wimer and they had five girls: Grete, Liesel, Elke, Erika and Monika. 

In 1985, after Liesel and Elke were killed by a drunk driver, Kegel began volunteering with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) as a victims' advocate and public speaker, spreading the word about the dangers of substance abuse for the next 33 years. 

Kegel loved walking the fields and building relationships with farmers and 4-H members. Family, friends, gardening, skiing and all things German gave him joy. 

We will miss him greatly.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the San Joaquin 4-H Foundation and mailed to Mick Canevari, Cabral Ag Center, 2101 E. Earhart Ave, Ste. 200, Stockton, CA 95206. 

A memorial service will be held on Friday, Nov. 4, at 10 a.m. at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 18633 E. Front Street, Linden.