Delbert "Del" Cederquist

February 1, 1932 – December 15, 2022

Delbert "Del" Cederquist passed away on December 15, 2022 after a series of health issues, at the age of 90.  Del was born on February 1, 1932 to Ernest and Lulu Cederquist in Fresno, California.

A celebration of Del Cederquist's life will be held on Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at CPDES Hall in Easton – 172 W. Jefferson Ave., Fresno, CA, 93706.  A barbecue lunch will immediately follow the ceremony.

Del had three passions in his life – family, farming, and education as a Board member.  His first passion was always supporting his family.  He constantly helped to solve issues that arose with any family member and always worked behind the scenes to help a family member be successful.  Del was a farmer at age 18 on the current ranch on Parlier Avenue until his death at age 90.  He farmed as much as 200 acres including raisins, table grapes, wine grapes, and juice pack over the 72 years of farming.  His other passion was education as a Board member from age 21 to 86 years old – 65 years as a School Board member for University Colony, Pacific Union, and the Fresno County Office of Education.  He served as President of the California School Boards Association in 1977 and Chair of the National School Board Association Pacific Region in 1976.  He was recognized in 2018 for his 65 years of School Board service as the longest-serving School Board member in the nation.

Mr. Cederquist was known as a servant leader who valued local control and non-partisanship for school Board members and school districts.  He consistently championed the needs of small, rural school districts.  Del also served as a Board member of the Washington Colony Cemetery District for 58 years until his death in December, 2022.

Del is survived by his loving wife of 33 years, Denise Cederquist.  The family is grateful to her for making Del's life as comfortable as possible in his last years of failing health.  Del is also survived by his two sons and their wives – Doug/Sue and Eric/Susan.  In addition, Denise's daughters and husbands – Becky/Eric and Shelby/Dave.  Del had four grandchildren – Kevin, Kristin, Jamie and Clay, along with ten great-grandchildren who brought Del a great deal of joy and pride in their success.

The family requests those who wish to express their respects to consider making a donation in Del Cederquist's memory, in lieu of sending flowers, to the CTEC High School Scholarship Fund.  Make checks payable to The Foundation @ FCOE, 1111 Van Ness Ave., 3 ^rd Floor, Fresno, CA, 93721 and specify for "Del Cederquist CTEC Scholarship Fund".