Joseph (Joe) Pomatto Jr
Joseph (Joe) Pomatto Jr passed peacefully at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital on Tuesday, December 15, 2020. Born July 18, 1936 in Santa Barbara, California to Joseph James Pomatto Sr and Sarah Lessett Pomatto. He grew up on the family ranch in Glen Annie Canyon where he was a member of 4H and raised sheep and cattle. He graduated from Santa Barbara High School in 1955 where he played football for the Dons. Out of high school he went to work for the Batastini brothers as a heavy equipment operator. Throughout his 42 year career he worked for Lambert Construction, South Coast Construction, Granite Construction and retired at 62 from Lash Construction.
In his first marriage he had three daughters, Kathleen, Jacqueline and JoAnn. He raised them in Goleta where they spent a majority of their time on the family ranch, spending their weekends and summers just as he did. He loved boating and spending family vacations at Lake Nacimiento and grew up hunting with his father and friends that continued into his adult life.
The Pomatto family name runs deep in the Goodland. Joe’s great-grandfather James came to Goleta with his two brothers from Turin, Italy in 1890. The three brothers bought 368 acres of land on the west side of Glen Annie Road in 1916, converting the land from a dairy farm to a walnut ranch and later avocados, oranges and lemons. Although the land was sold off over the years, Joe and his daughters were able to grow up and experience the beauty of the property until the family home was sold in 1994.
In 1986 Joe married Betty Warkentin. They enjoyed camping in their motorhome on the central coast and took many cruises. They both enjoyed attending the Santa Maria Raceway on Saturday nights with their grandkids and most Sunday mornings you would find them at Domingo’s Cafe in Goleta for breakfast with friends and family.
Joe is survived by his wife of 34 years, Betty Pomatto, sister Josephine Erranova, his three daughters, Kathleen Lutz (Nelson), Jacqueline Hilliard (William), JoAnn Pomatto-Gomez (Anthony). Stepson Darrell Warkentin (Sue). Five grandchildren, Sarah, Joey, Kendra, Dalen, Morgan and his great-granddaughter Aubrey.
A private graveside service was held on 12/22.