Naoma Gower Ford

Naoma Gower Ford, nee Naoma Jean Gower, passed away on January 5th, 2018, at age 88. She was born July 7th, 1929, in Wilkes-Barre, PA, to Granville and Elizabeth Gower (nee Jones). She was preceded in death by her husband of almost 50 years, Lester R. Ford, Jr., and is survived by her brother Philip Gower of Thousand Palms, as well as her nine stepchildren: Diana Tashjian, Barbara Daniels, Pamela Ruggiero, Andrea Crebassa, Randy Ford, Melinda DiMartino, Ilisa Kim, Fred Ford, and Ken Ford, along with their spouses and their many children and grandchildren.

Naoma was born in Pennsylvania and moved around a bit before settling in Santa Barbara in 1966, where she met her future husband. She loved animals, especially dogs and elephants, reading, classical music, shopping, and travelling.

A celebration of her life will take place on March 17, 2018, at 2:00, at the Valle Verde Ray Schneider Social Room, 900 Calle de los Amigos, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to Direct Relief, www.directrelief.org, or to a charity of your choice.