Obituary of William Marsh McCabe

William Marsh McCabe died November 26, 2013, at the age of 72 at his home in Soquel, California. Bill was born in Detroit, Michigan, on March 4, 1941. Soon after, his family moved to San Mateo, California, where he grew up with his father, Joseph Matthew McCabe; his mother, Audrey Helen Marsh; and his older sister, Patricia McCabe. Bill attended Catholic schools, graduating from Bellarmine College Preparatory in 1959. In 1964, he received his bachelor's degree in business from the University of Portland, Oregon, and completed Navy OCS in Newport, Rhode Island, the following year. During the Vietnam War, Bill served in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant on the Pacific fleet oiler USS Hassayampa from 1965 to 1968. He remembered his time in the Navy with great fondness, feeling that he saw the world, made good friends, and learned to be a man. Bill married Anne Reilly in 1966. While they were stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, they had two sons, William Marsh McCabe, Jr. and John Joseph McCabe. Upon returning to California, the family lived in Alamo for 10 years. During this time, Bill worked in retail, then as a successful real estate agent and broker. In 1977, Bill purchased the Roundup Saloon in Lafayette, California, and owned and operated it for the next 30 years. The Roundup Saloon became an essential aspect of who he was. The bar's long history as an "outpost for outlaws" fit perfectly with Bill's larger-than-life character: a bar-brawling, steely-eyed storyteller who was hilarious and outrageous. In 1987, Bill married Sandy Formoso. That same year, they purchased the Hayshed Basin Ranch, a homestead located near Covelo, California, and transformed 1,300 acres of undeveloped land into a fully functioning cattle and sheep ranch. And thus, Bill added cattle rancher to his already colorful list of accomplishments. Bill served on the Board of Directors of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and in 1996 became its president. He was also a member of the Rotary and Lion's Clubs. Not content with building a ranch, Bill and Sandy found a derelict farm in western Ireland in 2005 and restored it using the off-grid technology they had developed at their ranch. In 2006, they sold Hayshed Basin Ranch and retired to Soquel where Bill pursued his life-long passion for golf. In 2010, Cassie Meron McCabe joined the family as Bill and Sandy's daughter. Bill McCabe is survived by his wife Sandy, sons Bill and John, daughter Cassie, stepchildren David Formoso and Jenny Formoso, and grandchildren Maya McCabe, Alex Formoso, Kelsey McCabe and Wyatt McCabe. A memorial service will be held at the McCabe family home in Soquel at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 3. Call (831) 430-6583 for more information. In lieu of flowers, please support the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research.