Curtis Arthur Herberts, a resident of
Newport Beach for 56 years, was born
January 24, 1927, and passed away peacefully
on August 26, 2008, with his three
children at his bedside. Curtis was married
to Virginia for nearly 62 years when
she passed away in January of this year.
They are survived by their three children,
Carol Westling, Kathy Schuler and Curt
Herberts II, their spouses, grandchildren,
great grandchildren and many close
friends.
Born to be an entrepreneur and salesman,
Curtis’ business ventures included
many; however there are four that stand
out over the course of sixty years. After
being discharged from the Navy in 1946, his first career was in the
boat business. Curtis and his father became the first mass producers
of fiberglass boats in the United States. To prove the indestructibility
and sturdiness of this new product, Curtis launched one of
the boats off of the roof of his manufacturing building. Even today,
so many years later, there are still some of those original Wizard and
Curt Craft boats being enjoyed.
Curtis’ next venture was to establish one of the first Toyota dealerships
in California. The Harbor Boulevard store featured Toyota’s
newest creation, the 1957 Toyapet. The dealership was a great success
and was eventually sold to another dealer.
In the early 1960’s, Curtis became one of the initial investors and
members of the Board of Directors for Sea World. Additionally he
assisted in the procurement of many of the original fish in the Sea
World aquariums.
And finally, during the early 1970’s, Curtis immersed himself in real
estate as his last full-time profession. He enjoyed much success in
this venture both as an investor and subsequently a salesman.
Yes, Curtis was a born entrepreneur and salesman, always thinking
up new ideas and freely dispensing advice to his children, grandchildren
and anyone else who would listen. Even during his last
hospital visit he was telling his two adult daughters how they should
start a new business he thought would be very successful.
Curtis had many hobbies, but enjoyed fishing the most. For many
years he was an active member of both the Avalon Tuna Club and
the Southern California Tuna Club. Not only did his fishing adventures
take him worldwide, they also provided him with many fish
tales, some of which he wrote about and were later published. He
was especially proud of his World Record and was an avid proponent
of catch and release.
Curtis was a strong and determined individual, an active father,
grandfather and great grandfather with a large extended family that
loved him and will miss him dearly.
There will be a private family memorial. In lieu of flowers, donations
may be made to Curtis’ favorite charity: “S.C.T.C. Marine
Biology Scholarship Foundation” at
P.O. Box 87, Long Beach, CA 90801-0087, Federal Tax ID 95-
4598052
