Herman William Steinbach

Herman William Steinbach was born on September 17, 1931 in Chariton, Iowa and left this life on September 30, 2020 with his family by his side. He will be remembered as a husband, father, grandfather, veteran, antique car enthusiast and animal lover. He represents the fourth generation of meat cutters stemming from his German great-grandfather. Herman's words of wisdom (which were sometimes hard to hear) will long be remembered by his daughters while teaching them to drive, how to work with integrity, and the importance of a job well done. His favorite word was "neat" and you knew he was happy when he said "Ya, man!" Herman and his parents, Joe and Grace Steinbach, moved from Iowa to Los Angeles, then to Lindsay and then landed in Visalia in 1940. He attended George McCann and graduated from Visalia Union High School in 1949. In school, his favorite sport was track and his first mode of transportation was a Cushman Motor Scooter. Three years after high school, he was drafted into the Army to serve during the Korean conflict. Despite looking forward to an all expense paid trip overseas, once the Army learned he had meat cutting skills, he was assigned to the kitchen and spent his term at Ford Ord in Monterey prepping the meat for the many meals the troops would need in training. In 1954 he returned home full time to work for Visalia Purity Grocery Store in the meat department. On July 23, 1961, he married a lovely local dental assistant, Billie Nell Eyer, in a small ceremony in Carmel California. After 5 years of enjoying speed boats, water skiing and lots of free time, they started a family and welcomed their two daughters, Susan and Sandy. While busy with his new family, his life took a turn with the sudden death of his father in 1966. A butcher at the time with Mayfair Market, he started work in Woodlake at Steinbach's Frosted Foods, which his father purchased in 1951. He ran the business with the help of his wife Billie and his mother, Grace, until her passing in 1987. He and Billie continued on until their retirement in 1994. While in Woodlake, Herman was a 40 + year member of the Woodlake Rotary Club, which he continued to attend until 2003. Cars were Herman's passion, and as a founding member of the Visalia Vapor Trailers, he spent many hours at shows and tinkering with his various hot rods. His love of cars of began with his first vehicle, a 1930 Chevrolet Coupe, which he proudly paid for, in cash, with $800 as a young teen. He spoke fondly of racing with his buddies at Bonneville, at the coast, and on lonely country roads � especially Dinuba Boulevard � when they could get away with it. Herman was not known as a sports fan, except for his love of the Indianapolis 500, which he faithfully watched every year on TV. When not watching racing, his time was spent competing with his neighbor for the most perfect front lawn, washing his cars, fixing something, or spending time at his beloved mountain cabin. Herman is preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Grace Steinbach. He is survived by his wife, Billie, daughters Susan Tackett of Hanford and grandson, Benjamin Barlow, Sandy Falk of Bakersfield and her husband Eric and grandchildren Chelsea, Rachel and Dawson Falk. The family would like to thank Kaweah Delta Hospice for their excellent care and support. Services will be held on Thursday, October 8th at 10:30 am at Visalia District Cemetery and a reception to follow at The Woodlands, 4211 W. Goshen Ave. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 7425 N. Palm Bluffs, Ave, #101, Fresno, CA 93711 or to Visalia Vapor Trailers, 2133 N. Lindsay Court, Visalia, CA 93291.

Herman William Steinbach

September 17, 1931 - September 30, 2020