<p> Walter Cottle Lester, a farmer who sought to ensure his family’s 237-acre land would forever remain a part of Silicon Valley’s agricultural roots, has passed away at the age of 88. Walter had selflessly turned away offers totaling more than $500 million for his land, refusing various bids from developers looking to build on the land his family owned since the 1860s.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> According to Contra Costa Times, Walter unfortunately passed away the day before the opening of the public trail that would help preserve his family’s ranch in South San Jose. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Mike Wasserman turned Saturday morning’s event into a “Walk for Walter.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Walter had instead donated his land to Santa Clara County and the state of California in exchange for their agreement to transform it into a $26 million park that cannot be developed and will include land for farming. Today, cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, and grains continue to flourish on the land.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> “He drew his first and last breaths there, and you can’t say that about a lot of people,” said Frank Giordano, the cousin of David Giordano, who managed the farming operation for Walter for the past two decades. “We’re going to certainly miss him.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> AndNowUKnow would like to extend our deepest condolences to Walter’s family and friends.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_25043512/silicon-valleys-last-big-farm-owner-dies-after" target="_new"> Contra Costa Times </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_17415840?source=pkg" target="_new"> Image Courtesy of San Jose Mercury News </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
