David Lawrence Raber
Dave Raber died peacefully in his sleep on September 18, 2024 after living a full life and crossing the 90-year-old finish line. Dave never had to win an election to be proclaimed the Mayor of multiple jurisdictions – Starbucks in Montecito, Cody’s on Turnpike, and Harry’s Plaza Cafe. He will be remembered for his engaging personality, curiosity when meeting new people, quick wit, and good-natured banter with friends and colleagues. A friend who was a retired Catholic Priest once teased him by saying, “You’re as old as God—and he’s old!” Dave responded with, “Where did you get that shirt, Catholic Charities?”
Dave was born in Kansas City, MO on January 26, 1934 to Guy and Sylvia Raber. The family soon moved to Scottsbluff, NE where Dave spent his childhood. Dave excelled in sports at Scottsbluff High School, especially in track and basketball. He ran the quarter mile and was one of the favorites to win at the state meet finals. But two rivals purposely boxed him in during the race and he finished third.
Basketball ended on a happier note. Dave led Scottsbluff to the 1952 Nebraska State Championship in dramatic fashion, much like the movie Hoosiers. The team and hundreds of supporters set out for the 400-mile journey to Lincoln for the state tournament. The caravan got stranded for hours in a blizzard in Ogallala. The team was able to hop on a last-minute train for the final 300 miles of the trip. They arrived in Lincoln less than an hour before tip-off for their quarterfinal game. The road-weary team squeaked out a 49-48 win over Falls City. Scottsbluff dominated Creighton Prep in the semifinal game, 46-29. During a first quarter timeout, Dave’s coach assigned him to guard sharpshooter Rich Halpine after Halpine scored 6 points in the first 2 minutes. Dave shut him down, holding him to 2 points for the rest of the game. Scottsbluff headed to the finals where defending champion Fremont was waiting with four returning starters, including two-time all-state player John Neff. Fremont never had a chance. Dave hit the opening bucket from the top of the key and Scottsbluff never looked back, pulling away for a 50-39 win.
Dave received athletic scholarship offers from Colorado and Nebraska. But his father would not let him go, insisting that he stay in Scottsbluff and work in the family business. Dave enrolled at Scottsbluff College, running track and playing basketball, and earning all-District honors in both sports. He married his high school sweetheart, Nancy Yungblut, in 1954.
Dave came to Santa Barbara in 1955 when the Raber family moved west. His daughter, Carol Crego, was born in 1955. His son, Steve Raber, was born a few years later in 1959. Dave quickly made Santa Barbara his home. He joined the Episcopal Church at All Saints By the Sea where he served as a member of the Vestry, and as an usher for nearly 50 years. He worked with his father and brother (Dean) in the family business, Raber Electrical Supply, on Nopal Street. But Dave felt restrained in the family business. He bravely ventured out on his own to form David L. Raber Lighting, Inc. in 1967. Dave used his personality and creativity to build a successful business as a manufacturer’s representative for commercial lighting. His professional highlights included the lighting at La Cumbre Plaza and the Santa Barbara Auto Mall, and supplying all the fixtures for Motel 6 in California.
Dave’s favorite past-time was holding court at Starbucks, Cody’s, and Harry’s. As he put it, “I enjoy people. I find it interesting what people have done with their lives. Maybe I should have become a reporter.” According to his friend, John Maloney, “Dave never met a stranger.” Another friend observed that Dave “always had a twinkle in his eye and a good story to tell.” And still another recalls: “Dave is friendly to everyone. He’s very kind and has no agenda.” Whether posing for a selfie with Katy Perry, Oprah, or Peter Noone, or asking Blake Griffin and Brad Daugherty if they played basketball (and whether they had won a state high school championship), or asking a stranger what book they were reading, or asking a student about what they were doing in school, Dave was equally comfortable with and curious about everyone whom he encountered. He treated everyone with kindness and good humor. One of his favorite lines: “Everyone tells me I’m so effervescent. And I say, ‘I don’t know when I effervasn’t!’”
Dave maintained a positive outlook throughout his life. He attributed this to a lesson learned from his track coach: “To this day, I can hear the coach yelling at me. He would say, ‘Don’t look back! When you do, you lose half a stride.’ I carry that through life. Why look back? Learn from your lessons, from what happened to you in the past, and carry it forward.”
Dave is survived by his children, Carol Crego (husband Robert) and Steve Raber (wife Blair); three grandchildren, Matthew Crego, Kate Raber, and Maggie Raber (husband Will Shilton); his sister, Doris Bennett; and his former wife, Barbara Rose. He was predeceased by his first wife and mother of his children, Nancy Failing, and his brother, Dean Raber.
Dave requested that there be no services because he wanted to be there for his own Celebration of Life. He wants everyone to know that this dream came true every day with everyone he met, and especially with family and friends at his 90th birthday party earlier this year. “Nothing could ever top that,” he said. We are grateful for the wonderful, compassionate care Dave received during the last several months of his life. Donations in memory of Dave can be made to Assisted Home Health & Hospice, 115 E. Micheltorena Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101.