A quiet hero

We live in a time of rising frustration and anger. People are looking for someone to blame for the grim headlines of jobs lost, homes foreclosed, public budgets cut and taxes being raised.

Too often we overlook the other side of the story. The people who quietly go about their jobs, who go the extra mile to keep costs down and deliver quality results to improve the safety and quality of life of others.

John Schoof was that kind of man. The Wastewater Manager for the City of Santa Barbara lived here in Ventura with his wife Mary Walsh Schoof, Ventura's Deputy City Manager and their son Will, a sophomore at Villanova High.

John died at 48 after a courageous battle with heart disease. On Monday, 400 family, friends and colleagues paid tribute to his short and well-lived life.

John spent 20 years serving the City of Santa Barbara. At work, he was entrusted with sheparding the big projects with a quiet skill and patient assurance that there was no obstacle that couldn’t be overcome. John was project Manager the construction or refurbishment of Santa Barbara’s Granada Garage, Los Banos Pool, Railroad Depot, McKinley Park, and the Waterfront Offices. During his twenty years with the City of Santa Barbara, he supervised Wastewater; Streets; Land development; Real Property; Contract and construction Engineering and Inspection; Waterfront and Airport Engineering; GIS; Capital Improvement Programming; and Environmental Programs.

Recognized with six “Project of the Year” awards from the American Public Works Assn. and the American Society of Civil Engineers, he was honored as Maintenance Superintendent of the Year for Southern California. He was exacting in giving his best to others and kind in inspiring the best in others. His intuition and ability to read people earned him distinction as a beloved Little League Coach and a stand-out leader in his profession.

Both the Ventura and Santa Barbara City Councils adjourned their meetings this week in memory of John Schoof. Here is what Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum had to say about his public service there:

“I want to close tonight’s meeting in memory of John Schoof, who was our engineer in the Public Works Department, who we lost this last week. He was an asset to any public works project. I have never seen a person who was so even tempered—I’d like to think that I am pretty even tempered, but he was truly amazing. He was a real problem-solver and a very, very kind person."