David Fiddyment 4/20/1923 - 3/6/2023

David Fiddyment, son of one of Roseville's early pioneer families, passed away March 6,2023 at home holding hands with his wife of 75 years, Dolly. David was born to Cora and Russell Fiddyment on April 20, 1923 dying just a few weeks shy of his 100th birthday. David grew up on the land his great grandmother, Elizabeth Jane Crawford Fiddyment settled in 1852. Alongside his father he learned firsthand about agriculture and animal husbandry. His first "real job" at age 15, was supplying eggs to Roseville merchants. He continued in thepoultry business until 1968. That year David took a big leap of faith when he decided to plant his first pistachio trees, becoming one of the first orchardists in the country. He was involved in every aspect of the early days of the pistachio industry; from growing the seedlings to establishing cultivation practices, to inventing the equipment that sped processing time and assured the high quality of California grown pistachios. And of course, marketing the nuts under the Fiddyment Farms label. He was a founding member of the California Pistachio Commission (now American Pistachio Growers), a non-profit trade association representing over 800 grower members with the shared goal of increasing global awareness of nutritious, American-grown pistachios. He continued farming pistachios in Roseville until the family property sold; at which time he purchased another orchard in the Bakersfield area – after all, he was only 82 years old. As a young man, David fell in love with flying and took his first solo flight when he was just 17 years old, taking off from the dirt runway at the ranch, sometimes having to fly low to scare the sheep off the landing strip. David loved the outdoors with special interest in bow and arrow hunting and fishing; organizing many friends for trips to Alaska to catch halibut and salmon. David was a man of service, he founded the Dry Creek 4-H Club, and served on many boards and committees including, the Placer County Fair Board, the Placer County Ag Commission, the Roseville Arts Council, the Sierra College Board of Trustees, the UC Davis Chancellor's Club and Mondavi Center Board, and his beloved Rotary Club of Roseville. When David was no longer able to attend regular meetings, his fellow Rotarians would visit weekly to convene a remote meeting so David could keep up his streak of 74 years of perfect attendance – a record in the Rotary annals. The summer of 1947 proved to be eventful in the young farmer's life. One weekend David flew his Bellanca airplane to Southern California to visit his sister, Coralie, who was attending summer school at UCLA. That's when he met Dolly Lorenzen of Huntington Beach, CA. It was love at first sight, and by the end of the summer they were engaged. By agreeing to marry on Dolly's mother's birthday, the couple wed on February 17, 1948. They returned to Roseville to begin their life together on the family ranch. David and Dolly welcomed their first son, Duane the following year and added to their brood with Deborah in 1952 and Diane in 1956. A special addition came when Vasilios "Bill" Evangelou joined the family from the American Farm School in Greece. David and Dolly traveled everywhere, but their favorite place to go was the cabin at Alder Creek. Built the year David was born, the cabin offered the perfect get away from the heat of the Sacramento valley summers. He would rise early to hike the creek, fishing for native trout. Days were spent maintaining and improving the cabin and bridge, doing repairs and upkeep himself. He was horrified when his grandson suggested bringing in a load of dirt to fill in an eroded area saying, "There's a whole mountainside of dirt right here. Go get a wheelbarrow." And at the end of the day a swim in the refreshing waters of the American River and a cocktail on the porch would round out the perfect day. David is survived by his wife Dolly, his daughters Deborah Fiddyment and Diane Fiddyment (Sanar Singh Karki), grandchildren Bryan Barrett (Lindsay), Merissa Mulé (Michael), Meghan Jimenez (Daniel), Amanda Fiddyment, and 9 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son, Duane (Karyl) and "adopted" son Bill (Shelly). He is also survived by his sister Coralie and numerous nieces and nephews, and his loving and faithful caregivers, La and Mere Benesh, and predeceased by his brothers Russell and John. There will be a Celebration of Life at the Centerpoint Community Church, 515 Sunrise Ave., Roseville, CA on April 28, 2023 at 11:00 am. All are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, David would have appreciated a donation to the Roseville Historical Society.