Alan John Warren
Alan John Warren, age 88, formerly of Santa Barbara, passed away on November 5, 2021, in Oroville CA. Alan was born October 15, 1933, in England, and raised in Wellington, New Zealand where he began a carpenter apprenticeship at age 14 and completed military service as a young man. He later lived in the outback of Australia and in Rhodesia, Africa, where he worked on the Kariba dam project in the 1950s.
Alan moved to Santa Barbara and became a U.S. citizen in 1966. There he owned properties in Montecito and worked as a carpenter and met his wife, Carol. Alan and Carol enjoyed entertaining and sailing to the Channel Islands on their sailboat The Eagle that they kept in Marina Two of the Santa Barbara harbor. They later moved to Santa Ynez, CA, where they built a custom home. In 1991 they moved to Paradise, CA, where they lived on four acres and Alan continued his carpentry and they built houses.
Alan spent all his free time on creative projects and had boundless energy. He was highly skilled in all facets of building, woodwork, masonry, plumbing, electrical, landscaping and designing buildings. A skilled marksman, he designed and created custom inlaid wood gun stocks. He was also an auto mechanic and restored vintage cars and did autobody work. He was fond of sports cars such as MGs in British Racing Green and Porsches. He had a passion for art, architecture, photography, food, jazz, big band music and dancing, travel, world history, fishing, swimming, horticulture, watching educational television and the BBC. Alan loved all wildlife, especially German Shepherds and Siamese cats. He loved meeting new people, socializing, and telling colorful stories.
Alan and Carol fled the flames of the Camp Fire the morning of November 8, 2018, when they lost their home and all their possessions collected over a lifetime, including an extensive collection of tools, a carpentry shop and mechanic shop, and several vehicles. They settled in Oroville, CA after the devastating fire.
Alan was truly a one-of-a-kind master craftsman with a lust for life and an unforgettable voice and sense of humor. He is survived by his wife, Carol Medlin of Oroville, his childhood friend Bevan Moss of Wellington, New Zealand, one brother in New Zealand, several nieces and nephews, stepchildren, and their children and grandchildren.