DICK WEBBER ENSENADA FISHING TACKLE ESTATE SALE

June 12, 2004, Vee Webber, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.

Dick Webber’s “Fifty Years of Fishing Gear” and other items, with proceeds going to the Lymphoma Research Foundation, Saturday, June 19, 2004, at 4718 Bonnie Court, San Diego, corner of I-15 and Adams Avenue, from 8 a.m. onwards.

Vee Webber, Ensenada: “I have thirty tackle boxes of all shapes and sizes; pricing on the boxes runs from $3 to $20. Yes some of them have treasures, unopened Krocs, lots of squids, some freshwater gear, hooks, weights from light to barbell-sized, a huge 120v reel, lots of line, wet weather gear, jackets, boots, ponchos. Reels, at least fifty, starting at $5, some fly fishing stuff, decorations, wooden signs, "Fishing Spoken Here," Hawaiian shirts, mostly large.

“Prices will be rock bottom. As a plus, Kensington is having their big neighborhood sale that day, so someone coming from a distance could have a good "sale-ing" day. Other items include furniture, collectibles, remodeling supplies, too much to list. No early birds please.”

May 20, 2003, Jack Williams:

From the time he was a kid in Ocean Beach, the sea was a source of energy and fascination for Gene R. "Dick" Webber.

Once, on a break from his regular job in retail television sales during the late 1970s, he worked without pay for two weeks on the commercial fishing vessel Pioneer II.

He had been a professional commercial fisherman during his college years, but this time it was for fun. "Just to be part of the crew," said his wife, Vee.

Two decades later, while battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, he was too ill to enjoy his favorite fishing haunts along the coast of San Diego and Baja California. He found being near the water therapeutic, just the same.

"We would drive along Sunset Cliffs just so he could see the ocean," his wife said. "He wasn't able to get out of the car but it meant a lot to him."

Mr. Webber, an avid fisherman and the former owner of Encinitas Television, died May 5 at San Diego Hospice. He was 55.

Although his business demanded much of his energy six days a week, Mr. Webber spent as much time as he could at his second home near La Bufadora, Ensenada, on the edge of Bahia de Todos Santos, Baja California.

Beginning in 1973, he would spend about two weekends a month there in a 13-foot trailer. "There was no running water, no electricity, nothing," his wife said.

"I called Dick 'the last of the untamed pirates of La Bufadora.' We didn't get electricity until about two years ago."

Mr. Webber, a native of Iowa City, Iowa, moved with his family to Ocean Beach at age 2. In recent years, he commuted from his home in either University Heights or Normal Heights to the TV shop in Encinitas.

He had begun working there in 1976 when it was owned by his future father-in-law, Del Hafford.

"When dad founded it in 1956, it was the only TV store on the coast, from Oceanside to San Diego," Vee Webber said.

Mr. Webber became a partner in the business in 1978 and sole owner in 1991. His illness, which was diagnosed in December 1998, led him to sell the business in 1999.

After undergoing a stem cell transplant in December 1999 at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, his cancer went into remission for two years. It resurfaced in December 2001.

"He tried to live as vigorous a life as he could," his wife said. "During two years of remission, he managed rental properties in San Diego and traveled to Baja."

Mr. Webber, who took fishing excursions along the Baja coast in his 14-foot boat and sportfishing vessels, enjoyed his biggest catch at La Paz in 1992. He caught four dorado in the 25-to-40-pound range, his wife said.

While growing up in Ocean Beach, Mr. Webber delivered the Ocean Beach Star and The San Diego Union.

In 1976, 10 years after he enrolled at San Diego State University, Mr. Webber earned a bachelor's degree in sociology. A part-time student, he attended classes around his work schedule, which included such jobs as commercial fisherman and butcher's assistant.

Survivors include his wife, Venus "Vee" Webber; mother, Mabel Johnson of El Cajon; sister, Elaine Leight of Florida; brother, Robert Hellum of Florida; and his caregiver, Eric Romero of San Diego.

A gathering of friends and family is planned for July in Baja California.

Donations in Mr. Webber's name are suggested to Lymphoma Research Foundation of America, 8800 Venice Blvd., Suite 207, Los Angeles, CA 90034, or to San Diego Hospice, 4311 Third Ave., San Diego, CA 92103.