The passing of an irrigation guru and friend.

The first time I met John Thomas, I had just begun my career at Hunter. I was new to California, and John was one of the first people I met. He was the branch manager of a pristine Ewing branch in San Luis Obispo, California. In addition to his devotion to Ewing and his store, his knowledge of irrigation was second to none. If there were a technical question that needed to be ask, John was always the one that people recommended answer it.

This expertise was also carried over into the water management arena. He made every effort to promote efficient water use in his home town of Atascadero and in SLO county. No one would ever doubt John's commitment to his work, his profession, and his family. Where John will always remain in my mind and heart is his relentless friendship to me and my family. I moved away from the Central Coast of California and left behind a friend that most would envy.

Most people naturally drift when distance comes between them. John never allowed that to happen. He would send me thoughtful, well written emails explaining his week or how his family was doing. These were not the one sentence "How are you?" emails that we have become accustom to; they were instead paragraphs that undoubtably took effort and time to construct. What saddens my heart is that I failed to return that effort.

The lesson for us all is that in the fast paced life that we have invented in this culture, nothing is more important than a genuine friend, and that genuine friends deserve and require effort to keep. If I could say anything to John it would be that I will never again take for granted the effort of a friend. Your emails will be missed John. Your calls will be missed John. You will be missed John.

Goodnight and Travel Well,

Lance Elliott