Antonio ‘Tony’ Cobarrubia passed away peacefully on August 3, 2019, at the age of 89.
Tony was born on November 15, 1929 in Jerome, AZ. The family moved to Oakdale, CA
shorty after his birth. He attended schools in Oakdale and upon graduation was drafted into the Army in 1951. He served in Korea and was discharged in 1953 and continued his education at Modesto Junior College, graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1957 with a degree in Poultry Science. He worked for Safeway in the Bay Area and left to join Rainbow Farms/Valley Fresh Foods, Inc. (VFFI), in Turlock, CA.
He worked for VFFI for over forty years, retiring as President of the company.
Under Tony’s leadership, VFFI was a charter franchise of the Eggland’s Best Egg brand.
Tony was a longtime member of the Pacific Egg & Poultry Association (PEPA), serving as
President in 1984. He also received PEPA’s Industry Person of the Year Award in 1993, and was the Modesto/Stanislaus County Good Egg Award Recipient in 1999. Tony was recognized by the American Egg Board for his many years of service and the California Egg Commission for his service to the egg industry. Tony was also instrumental in founding the Nation’s premier egg quality assurance program “aka” CEQAP.
Tony was an avid golfer, and played on some of the most famous courses in the world, including Hawaii, Pebble Beach, and St Andrews in Scotland. He loved Hawaii, and enjoyed capturing beautiful sunsets on camera. He enjoyed fishing with his family, he was always quick with a smile and a joke, and he was known to treat all people equally.
He is survived by his wife, Ellie, of 65 years, daughter, Amy Losson (Lee), sons
Mark (Kristina) and Frank (Vanessa) and six grandchildren, Kiernan, Elizabeth, Sophia, Cristian, Diego and Pilar, two brothers, Raul and Cruz and sister Rose.
If desired, donations in memory of Tony may be made to Modesto Junior College, Modesto, CA,
or to Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Poultry Scholarship Department or
the Tony Cobarrubia Scholarship Endowment at the Western Poultry Scholarship and
Research Foundation, 1521 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.
The Cobarrubia family is planning a private graveside service in Oakdale, CA.
