Thomas D. Deardorff, of Deardorff Family Farms, died Jan. 5, 2026, at the age of 88. Tom was the Chair of the Western Growers Board of Directors in 1979; in 2000, he received WG’s most prestigious award, the Award of Honor.

In 1960, Tom began working for the Deardorff-Jackson Company alongside his grandfather, father, uncle and brother. Founded in Los Angeles in 1937, the company operated farming businesses throughout Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and later Ventura counties.

Today, Deardorff Family Farms in Oxnard, Calif., is led by his son Tom Deardorff II, President, and his cousin Scott Deardorff, Vice President and Treasurer. It is a fully integrated grower, packer and shipper of both conventional and organic row crop vegetables.

Besides serving on the WG Board, Tom was also a member of the California Commission on Agriculture, United Way and The Swift Foundation, among many other organizations.

Above all, Tom was grateful for the many blessings in his life, none greater than his wife of 63 years, Connie. He met Constance Malcomson of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, while she was working as a summer intern at the Los Angeles Times. They were married in 1962 and built a close-knit family with their three sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren.

Tom will be remembered most for the deep bonds of family he and Connie instilled in their children and grandchildren, and for being a kind, loyal and trustworthy friend to so many.

“Tom loved Western Growers, not just because of what it did for our industry, but mostly for how it brought members together like a family. He met some of his best friends through WG—people he loved, respected and trusted to help him in both his career and personal life,” said his son Tom Deardorff II, President of Deardorff Family Farms.

“Tom and his contemporaries were the greatest generation of our industry and of Western Growers history. They not only created the foundation for our current success but also instilled a moral fabric within Western Growers that will guide us for generations with a strong focus on family values and making decisions with honesty, respect, compassion and integrity. I am proud of all Western Growers is doing to carry on this tradition.”

To send flowers to Tom’s family or plant a tree in his memory, click here.