Al Menshew, a civic leader and the voice for many Modesto-area parades, dies at 88
Al Menshew was a child of the Dust Bowl who became one of Stanislaus County’s most devoted civic leaders.
On Oct. 9, he died at his Turlock home at the age of 88.
Mr. Menshew had a form of Parkinson’s disease that kept him from his volunteer work for the past year, said his wife, Loretta Menshew.
He retired in 1994 from a 33-year career at E.&J. Gallo Winery, most of it as purchasing manager at Gallo Glass Co.
Mr. Menshew dedicated himself to his fellow veterans and to groups involved with health care, historical preservation and other causes. Thousands of people heard his voice as emcee for 20-plus Fourth of July parades in Modesto and Almond Blossom parades in Ripon.
“He was at his happiest serving other people, being able to serve his community, and truly show care for those he knew or desired to know,” longtime friend Jeremiah Williams said Thursday. He chairs the Independence Day event for the Kiwanis Club of Modesto.
Mr. Menshew was the father of Dave Menshew, who has drawn acclaim of his own with the forensic biotech program at Enochs High School.
Memories of a migrant
Alfred E. Menshew was born Nov. 15, 1931, in Lexington, Oklahoma, to Jesse and Addie Mae Menshew. He was 5 when drought and the Depression forced his family to join the migration from the Great Plains to California.
Mr. Menshew soon went to work in the cotton and potato fields near Bakersfield. The family followed the harvests to the peach orchards around Modesto.
“There’s not a breath of air stirring, and you’d get the fuzz,” he recalled in a Modesto Bee series about the migrants in 2008. “The farmers would cut the price from 10 cents to 9 cents per box. The farmers were struggling just like we were and they had to do whatever they could.”
Mr. Menshew graduated from Ripon High School in 1948 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy while still 17. He served two tours of duty in the Korean War.
Mr. Menshew earned a bachelor’s degree in office management at Humphreys College in Stockton, while working at Stephens Bros. Boat Builders and Colberg’s Boat Works in that city.
He moved in 1961 to Gallo, which had become a key player in the wine industry since its 1933 founding in Modesto. The glass plant makes bottles for Gallo and other users.
History, health and other causes
Mr. Menshew’s passion for history led to terms as board president for both the McHenry Museum and the McHenry Mansion. A more irreverent preservation group, E Clampus Vitus, named him a Sublime Noble Grand Humbug.
Mr. Menshew also was past president of Kiwanis and Jaycees chapters and of the Turlock Shrine Club. He held the same post at the Old Fishermen’s Club out on Maze Boulevard.
Concern about health issues led to local leadership posts with the Easter Seal Society, American Heart Association and Doctors Medical Center Foundation. Mr. Menshew also chaired the United Way.
He was Santa Claus at many events alongside the late Bette Belle Smith, another legend in the volunteer ranks.
Mr. Menshew was a past commander of American Legion Post 74 and received its Citizen of the Year Award.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Arnold Menshew. Survivors include his sister, Janice Horn of Chico, and many other relatives and friends.
Celebrations now and later
Services for Mr. Menshew will include gatherings on Oct. 22 and 23 and a larger celebration of his life when COVID-19 rules allow.
A viewing will be 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 22 at Allen Mortuary, 247 N. Broadway, Turlock. A memorial service will be at the same location at 10 a.m. Oct. 23. A brief graveside service will follow at San Joaquin National Cemetery, 32053 W. McCabe Road, Santa Nella. Masks are required at all events.
Donations in Mr. Menshew’s memory can be made to Shriners Hospital for Children, 2425 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95817, or to McHenry Museum and Historical Society, 1402 I St., Modesto, CA 95354.
This story was originally published October 16, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
