Arthur James Aldritt
Arthur James Aldritt, 88, passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara on June 20, 2024. Our beloved Art – devoted husband, loving father, delighted grandpa, adoring uncle, dear friend and perfect child of God – is survived by his beautiful wife June; his children Christian and Nancy Aldritt; daughter-in-law Carla Goad; his four precious grandchildren, Emily and Tynan Aldritt, and Avery and Jessie Aldritt-Goad; his wonderful nieces, Joyce Greek and Janet Donaldson; and his many great nieces and nephew, Emily Byland; Mary Kraus and her daughter, Callan; Whitney Roy and her children, Tegan, Macie and Hudson. Art was preceded in death by his dear sister, Marjorie Dale Aldritt Donaldson.
Art was born to Joseph and Marjorie Aldritt on October 19, 1935 in Oakland, California. Art attended UC Berkeley graduating in 1957 with an undergraduate degree in history and a four-year gymnastics letterman serving as team captain and making Nationals as an all-around gymnast. His love for the sport led him to coach at Capuchino High School for six years while teaching history and working with the future love of his life, June. Art also served in the Marines to complete his military service over the next several years as a “weekend warrior” while working and obtaining his graduate degree.
Art and June were engaged to be married and wed in December 1961 during their winter break at the First Presbyterian Church in Canton, Ohio where June grew up. The following summer they took their honeymoon across Europe. Art returned to UC Berkeley to complete his Master’s degree and moving his coaching career from the Bay Area to UC Santa Barbara (UCSB). During his 30-year tenure from 1965 to 1995 at UC Santa Barbara he founded the men’s gymnastics program, coached and judged gymnastics, and later was the Director of the Coaching Minor program. He positively influenced many college athletes’ lives as well as the youth in local high schools in Goleta and Santa Barbara by mentoring and teaching student coaches who worked in the high school athletics programs.
Once Art and June relocated to Santa Barbara, they welcomed into their lives their son, Christian Joseph Aldritt, born in June 1967 and daughter, Nancy Elizabeth Aldritt, born in July 1971 at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara. Art believed that faith, family and work are the “right” priorities and exemplified this by being a wonderful provider, a faithful and loving husband, a father who would always champion his children (and later his grandchildren), decades of committed service to the local Christian Science and Presbyterian churches and a cheerful, yet determined, work ethic.
Art retired at 60 and enjoyed cruising sailboats, riding touring motorcycles, then Corvettes, expanding his model railroad collection, traveling with June to Hawaii, Palm Springs and the Pacific Northwest, and being an active member in the US Power Squadron chapter teaching seamanship, celestial navigation and sailing courses. In 1996 Art had his dream sailboat, a Pacific Seacraft Dana 24, built and launched. Revelation III has brought many delightful afternoon sails to our family and has been a place of refuge and balance for Art for over a quarter of a century with his Wednesday afternoon sailing group and family off the Santa Barbara Coast to the Channel Islands. Art also learned to play golf which he shared with his son, his daughter-in-law and dear friends. He became active in various clubs locally and served as an elder and deacon in their church as well as singing in the choir, taking piano lessons and developing his ability to play the piano by ear into one of reading piano music.
Art opted into heart surgery last month to enhance his quality of hoping for increased stamina and energy to dance with June, sail, play more golf, drive his Corvette with his grandsons and grace us with his beautiful voice and piano music at home and at church. His combined prudence and courage at 88 is an inspiration to us all. We will miss this man of honor, integrity, loyalty, friendship, humor, song and steadfast faith.
Please join us on Friday, July 19 at 11 AM at Goleta Presbyterian Church (GPC) (6067 Shirrell Way, Goleta) for his memorial service followed by a Celebration of Life luncheon at at GPC where we can share our sorrow and joy in Art’s extraordinary life.
On Saturday, July 20, Art’s ashes will be scattered off the Santa Barbara coast with family and close friends as was his wish as a lifelong sailor. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in honor of Art Aldritt to the Goleta Presbyterian Church (6067 Shirrell Way, Goleta, CA 93117) and the Cal Men’s Gymnastics Program (195 Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, CA 94720).