Richard Wallace Cummings; Santa Paula Rancher

Santa Paula rancher Richard Wallace Cummings died Friday at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura. He was 73.

Born March 30, 1925, in Santa Paula, Cummings was a member of a third-generation Ventura County farming family. He attended Santa Paula schools, and after graduating from Santa Paula High School enlisted in the Army Air Corps, where he was trained as a pilot and served as a pilot instructor during World War II.

After the war, Cummings returned to Santa Paula and operated the family ranch, raising livestock and growing citrus and avocados.

Cummings served on many agricultural boards, including those for Associates Insectary, the Middle Road Mutual Water Co., the Mupu Citrus Board, the Ventura County Citrus Exchange and Sunkist. He was featured in several Sunkist radio and television commercials over the years.

Cummings also raised and showed Belgian and Percheron draft horses and refurbished old wagons. He won a number of awards at county fairs throughout California.

Cummings is survived by his wife of 47 years, Joanne, of Santa Paula; daughters Suzanne Dyer of Ventura and Paula Robertson of Camarillo; son Steve Cummings, who runs the family’s ranch in Santa Paula, and four grandsons.

A graveside service will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Santa Paula Cemetery, with the Rev. John Martin officiating. The family will be receiving visitors at the Cummings home in Santa Paula following the service.

Skillin-Carroll Mortuary of Santa Paula is handling the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ventura County Historical Society Farm Implement Fund or the Salvation Army.