WATSONVILLE, CA - After a brief illness, produce pioneer John “Jack” Corrigan Jr. passed on the evening of Feb. 5.
Jack brought over 50 years of experience to the industry, having begun in the packing shed at the Giampaoli & Marchini where his father was a sales manager in Le Grand, CA, when he was a teenager.
Jack’s career took him from there, to McAllen, TX, back to the west coast, over to Arizona, and eventually back to California by the 1970’s, where he was back to selling tomatoes with his father in La Grand, CA, as well as grapes and cherries in Lodi.
Jack worked with companies like Griffin & Brand, Pacific Fruit & Produce, Griffin & Holder, and DuMont Packing before later founding Sunniland Fruit in Stockton, CA, with partners Michael Colavita, Sal Guardino and Vito DeLeo.
In the early 1990’s, Jack took over for his retired father, selling tomatoes full-time for the newly-named Live Oak Farms, formerly Giampaoli & Marchini. After retiring briefly himself, Jack was coaxed back into the tomato business by John Seascholtz. Establishing Red Rooster, he was a quality player in the tomato business of the state of California.
Jack is preceded in death by his parents, John Sr. and Elizabeth Corrigan. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Barbara, his three children Julie Paz, John Corrigan III, (Central Calif. Lettuce Producers Coop) and Katie Cuevas, as well as his three siblings and six beloved grandchildren.
A memorial will be held at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Watsonville, CA this coming Friday, Feb. 13th, at 11 a.m. with a reception to follow. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Jack’s name to either Moreland Notre Dame School of Watsonville or to Boy Scouts of America, Troop 455 located at 1025 Lanini Drive, Hollister, CA 95023.
AndNowUKnow would like to take this time to offer our heartfelt condolences to the Corrigan family and friends in this difficult time.
