Harold Lynn Cadwell

Date of Birth

July 5, 1922

Date of Death

October 12, 2017

Lynn was a beloved and devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, great-uncle and friend. He died peacefully on October 12, 2017, surrounded by his family.

Musician, teacher, historian, story teller extraordinaire, grand trickster – as one friend said, “Lynn could light up a whole room!” He also enjoyed fishing, traveling, a good party, and spending time with family and friends in Big Sur. Most of all, Lynn loved daily life with Nan, his wife of 62 years.

Lynn came from a pioneer farming family. He was born on July 5, 1922 and raised, along with twin sisters Mary and Marjorie, on the family ranch in Carpinteria that had been farmed by three prior generations of Cadwells.

While the farming tradition continues to this day with his son Christopher of Tutti Frutti Farms, Lynn chose a different path: that of an artist and educator. He had a great love of classical music, and studied piano in Paris with French pianist Marguerite Long, and violin with Jacques Thibaud.

After two years in Paris, Lynn joined the Army Air Force. In World War II, he flew the P-40 and then the P-47 during the Battle of the Bulge. In 1951 Lynn was called back to duty and flew seventy-nine missions as a “Truckbuster” in Korea. The P-51 Mustang used for these challenging, diverse and tough missions was his favorite airplane.

Back from the wars, Lynn won the heart of the beautiful Nannette Brown. They were married in 1953 and enjoyed many adventures, ultimately making their home in Santa Barbara.

Lynn had gotten his undergraduate degree at Olivet College in Michigan. He later completed graduate school in California, at Claremont and Cal Poly. He became the principal of Captain Cooper School in Big Sur, Vista del Mar School in Gaviota, the John F. Kenney Schule in Berlin, Germany, and the International School of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Back in Santa Barbara, Lynn worked for several years as a realtor in Montecito.

Even at the end of his life, Lynn’s humor, concern and encouragement touched the lives of all who entered his room. He lives on in each of us fortunate enough to have known him.

Lynn is survived by his wife, Nannette Cadwell, his children Hilary and Christopher, his daughter-in-law Cornelia, grandchildren Mimi, Holly Mae, Clara, Olive and Orin, and great-grandchildren Sebastian, Maggie, Amelia and Daniel. The family would like to give special thanks to Israel Rayos and his In Home Family Home Care team, as well as to the Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care. Your presence and care made a world of difference in Lynn’s final months.

A celebration of Lynn’s life will be held on Nov. 11 2017 at 11:00 am at the Carpinteria Cemetery. Please call 510-381-3273 if you would like to attend.

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