TRAIL TALK
by Lynn P. Kirst
Empty Saddles in 2014
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s has become my annual tradition, it’s time to take a look back at those who last year moved ahead to “the big pasture in the sky.” While most of these individuals died in 2014, I have included a couple of people who passed away in December 2013, too late to be included in last year’s column. As always, this is a highly personal and incomplete list of people that I think should be remembered. All of them have some connection with horses, hiking, the outdoors, or the Western way of life in general.
A museum and travel professional, community volunteer, and lifelong equestrienne, Lynn Kirst is a fourth-generation Californian who grew up in Montecito; she can often be found riding or hiking the local trails
Patricia P. (Patsy) Cappel (1946-2014)
Cinnie Nagel (left) and Patsy Cappel, two trail-riding friends who both died in 2014
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n addition to being lots of fun, Patsy Cappel had a reputation for being stylish and elegant, whether she was wearing chaps astride her favorite horse or gussied up for a social event. A California native, Patsy was born in Los Angeles, and received an education that seemed more suited for the future wife of an ambassador than someone whose favorite pastime was riding the trails as a member of “The Fillies.” After attending the Marlborough School in Los Angeles, Patsy studied in Europe at Brillantmont International School in Lausanne, Switzerland. and at Villa Mercedes in Florence, Italy, as well as the Finch School in New York City. Patsy was married for 47 years to Charles W. Cappel of Santa Ynez, with whom she had a son, Carter. They, as well as her daughter-in-law, Tracy Cappel of Carpinteria, and sister and brother-in-law Joanne and Robert Kendall of Montecito, survive her. Her valiant battle against breast cancer ended on October 25, 2014. The fight against this dreaded disease can be carried on by donations made in Patsy’s name to the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara. A Celebration of Life for Patsy Cappel will be held Saturday, January 31, in the Sycamore Room of the Alisal Guest Ranch in Solvang, from 2 until 4:30 pm. Please reserve ahead of time by contacting Julie Kirby at 688-1770, or by email at emailjulie1@verizon.net.
Barbara Benning “Babs” Hollister (1932-2013)
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ecause she died on New Year’s Eve of 2013, Barbara “Babs” Hollister was not included in last year’s Empty Saddles column, which had already been submitted for publication at the time of her passing. Although she was born in Kansas, Babs arrived in Santa Barbara as a 10-yearold girl when her physician father accepted a job at the Santa Barbara Hoff Army Hospital in 1942. She attended Peabody Elementary School, La Cumbre Junior High School, Santa Barbara High School and the Riviera Campus of UCSB. Her first marriage was to Ken Jennings, with whom she had four children who survive her. In 1970, Babs married John James Hollister III at his Arroyo Hondo Ranch, where they lived from 1990-2000 in the 1842 Ortega adobe. That ranch is now the Arroyo Hondo Preserve. An avid outdoorswoman, Babs enjoyed backpacking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Wind River Range of Wyoming. She co-owned a wilderness cabin at Pistol Creek Ranch on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, where she spent many summers fly fishing and hiking the rugged trails. Along with her sister-in-law Cinnie Nagel (see below), Babs managed the Long Horn Cattle operation, as well as her own 20-acre avocado orchard. Ironically, Cinnie and Babs died within a few months of each other. Her husband of 43 years, J.J. Hollister III, as well as her four children, 13 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren survive Babs.
Denham Charles (Denny) Lord (1949-2013)
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nother person who died after last year’s publication date was Denny Lord, who passed away on December 23, 2013. A scion of Montecito’s large and notable Borgatello family, Denny was the son of Denham J. Lord (a member of another long-time Santa Barbara family) and Augusta Borgatello Lord. Denny’s uncles were Mario and Charles Borgatello, and his aunts included the still-living Laura and Ida Borgatello. Of the three Borgatello sisters of her generation, Augusta was the only one who left Montecito, moving to Ojai where her husband was a teacher at Thacher School. Denny was born in Santa Barbara but grew up in Ojai, attending the Monica Ross School, Ojai Valley School, and Villanova Preparatory before attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. In 1970, Denny married his wife, Laura, and they resided on their ranch in
28 MONTECITO JOURNAL
Shirley Temple Black (1928-2014), the most successful child star of all time, also starred in the first movie about the famous racehorse Seabiscuit. As a girl she had a Shetland pony named Spunky, then went on to a political career as a prominent Republican and ambassador.
Lauren Bacall (1924-2014) was part of the dream cast that appeared with John Wayne in his final Western, The Shootist, released in 1976. Her death at age 90 capped a long career as a model and actress; her trademark low voice was actually a vocal disorder now known in the medical field as Bogart-Bacall Syndrome.
Carpinteria, while Denny farmed and ranched various properties up and down the coast of California. His family claimed he was happiest when sitting on the back of a horse or a tractor. Denny’s energy belied his nearly life-long struggle with kidney disease, which caused him to spend an entire year in Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles when he was a youngster. Later in life Denny had to undergo dialysis for three years, until he received a kidney transplant thanks to a live organ donation made by his son-in-law, Benji Trembly. This tremendous gift enabled Denny to enjoy an additional eleven years of life without being relegated to dialysis; he died from a sudden heart attack. Denny is survived by his 101-year-old mother, Augusta Borgatello Lord, as well as his wife Laura Lord, daughter Melinda Lord Trembly and her husband Benji, granddaughter Taylor Trembly and grandson Jackson Trembly, as well as his numerous Borgatello relatives.
Cynthia Hollister (Cinnie) Nagel (1929-2014)
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former Montecito resident and California native, Cinnie Nagel was born in San Francisco to John James Hollister, Jr. and Cynthia Boyd Hollister. Her earliest years were spent growing up on the Hollister Ranch in Gaviota with her younger brother, J.J. Hollister III, and many cousins. Cinnie’s earliest education was in a one-room schoolhouse on the Hollister Ranch, until the family moved to Goleta’s Winchester Canyon when she was 12. Later Cinnie was sent to Katherine Branson’s School for Girls in San Rafael, California, which her mother had also attended, and she also attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Cinnie’s first marriage was to George Masek, with whom she had two children. They lived in Arizona, where Cinnie developed a passion for Native American artifacts, particularly those from the nearby Navajo reservation. In the early 1960s, the family returned to Winchester Canyon, where Cinnie continued to enjoy the outdoors and her animals, especially horses and dogs. A lifelong horsewoman, Cinnie and her second husband, Gunther Peter Nagel, M.D., were board members of the Montecito Trails Foundation when they lived in Montecito. Upon his retirement in the late 1990s, they moved to Los Olivos. Cinnie was a member of the women’s trail riding groups The Fillies and the Sage Hens. In the 1980s, she was instrumental in raising awareness of Texas Longhorn Cattle, working with her sister-in-law Babs Hollister (see above). Predeceased by her husband, Peter, Cinnie is survived by her brother, two children, and one grandson. •MJ
• The Voice of the Village •
15 – 22 January 2015