Former Dep. Director of CA OHMVR, David Widell, Dies at Early Age of 44

Local Paper Article: by Corey Pride, Los Banos Enterprise

David Widell, general manager of the Grassland Water District, died Saturday. He was 44.

Merced County Coroner’s Office spokesman Tom Mackenzie said Widell died from cirrhosis of the liver and peritonitis.

Friends and colleagues are remembering Widell as a jovial man who cared about the environment.

“He could really hold a room. If he was in a room full of people, you knew he was there,” said Chase Hurley, who has known Widell since their days at Los Banos High School in the 1980s. “He could be funny, but he knew when to be serious too.”

Hurley last spoke to Widell on Friday.

“He was interested in fish and wildlife and he always had a smile on his face,” Hurley said. “I always thought he was going to be a politician.”

Widell was a field representative for former Assemblyman Rusty Areias and served stints on the Los Banos Planning Commission and the board of directors for the Merced County Farm Bureau.

Areias said Widell had a knack for bringing “warring” factions together.

“He was fun, he was smart and he was a great political tactician,” Areias said. “But his best work was his son.”

Widell died the day his son was preparing to start classes at Purdue University, said Areias, who had traveled overseas with Widell and his son.

“He left us entirely too young,” Areias said.

Widell spent time in the Air Force before becoming assistant general manager at the Grassland Water District.

In 2007, Widell became general manager of the water district after the retirement of Don Marciochi.

The Grassland Water District released a statement, which in part reads: “He touched countless lives through his unyielding efforts to protect and conserve the grasslands. Undoubtedly, he also touched the lives of others who did not know him personally. His efforts to defend the grasslands and its water supplies will be cherished by waterfowlers for generations to come.”

Hurley, who works for the San Luis Canal Co., said Widell’s political contacts were always helpful.

Areias said Widell did a tremendous amount of work to protect grassland in Merced County at a time when there was a lot of pressure to develop land in the Valley.

“One of the things Merced County got right is that 125,000 acres. He was a protective zealot of that resource,” Areias said.