Geoffrey Allen Van Ausdal (Geoff)

Geoffrey Allen Van Ausdal (Geoff) was born on March 30, 1949, to Robert and Mary June Van Ausdal. Geoff was born in Alliance, Ohio where he joined his older brother David who was born in 1945. In 1955 Geoff's little sister Kimberley was born.

Geoff had fond memories of Ohio which included sledding and the Cincinnati Red Legs.

Geoff's family stayed in Ohio until 1960 when they packed up and moved west to sunny California. The family settled in La Crescenta.

When Geoff was younger, he played baseball and was an excellent swimmer. When Geoff was in junior high and high school he played the trumpet and the guitar. He was also a surfer in his teen years. Geoff was a fisherman from a young age and loved camping. When Geoff was around 22 years old, he had a fishing accident that caused him to lose his eye.

While living in Ohio Geoff and his older brother David went exploring in the woods by their home. They "rescued" a baby owl they found in a nest. They brought the owl home and cared for it for a week before their mother discovered their new pet. The discovery came after the lice infestation took hold. Later, while living in California Geoff had a pet monkey at one point. The monkey liked to pee on the TV set. His parents were not too thrilled. When Geoff was an adult he liked to bring home stray dogs.

Geoff had a son named Matthew in 1970 from his first marriage. Geoff married a second time, to Louise and had a daughter named Heather in 1975.

Geoff, Louise, Denise (from Louise's 1st marriage), and Heather all moved to Oregon in February 1979. They would settle in the Gresham area.

In the early 1980's, Geoff and his neighbor across the street had a friendly fishing competition. When one of them would come home from fishing, they would yell out to the other, from across the street, "Fish On!" This was code for come look at how many I caught or how big the salmon were. Geoff would share his passion for fishing with his daughter Heather. He would later go on to take his step-daughter Sara and step-grandkids fishing as well.

Geoff had a knack for using choice words when things weren't going quite right. As an example, every year at Christmas without fail, Geoff would utter these choice words and phrases while putting up the Christmas tree. Think Grizwolds meets A Christmas Story dad.

Geoff held several jobs in his lifetime. He had his own landscaping business for several years. Always perfected and created beautiful landscapes for his customers. The other job he held for many years was as a car salesman. He was successful with his sales job because he was fair and easily recognized. He was the guy with the patch. He was so successful he was published in the local newspaper.

Geoff often got asked questions about the eye patch he wore for many years. A kid once asked him what happened to his eye. Geoff said in a playful tone, " I am a pirate, argh!" Geoff got a glass eye later in life, that he used to like to stick on his forehead to freak people out.

Geoff later went on to marry Judy in April 1996. Judy had a young daughter named Sara. They would go on to live on their farm near Scotts Mills, Oregon.

Geoff continued to love the outdoors and fishing. When he moved to the farm, he spent his time taking care of the animals and the property. Geoff's knack for randomly bringing home pets over the years would turn into random animals finding him on the farm.

There was an eclectic mix of animals on the farm. There was a one-eyed emu to match Geoff. A blind cat and a three-legged dog too. A donkey, a sheep, and the emu were all best friends, albeit not your typical friendship. The farm of misfits was a perfect spot for Geoff.

Geoff lived a storied life, this being the G-rated version. Geoff had a bond with the ones he loved that would never be broken.

Geoff passed away on January 24, 2024, at the age of 74. Geoff is preceded in death by both his parents and brother. Geoff is survived by his wife, his children, grandchildren, sister, niece, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law. Geoff is loved and greatly missed by his family.