LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Caryl Lankford passed away on March 15, 2015, at age of 76 after a lengthy illness, with his wife of 50 years and three children by his side.

Born July 13, 1938 in Hanford, Calif., Caryl was the only child of Elbert and Inez Lankford.

He lived most of his childhood in Hanford, he attended schools in Hanford, graduating from Hanford High School in 1956. After graduation, he attended College of the Sequoias in Visalia.

Caryl enlisted in the Army in 1961. He was stationed at Ft. Bragg, N.C, serving in the 3rd Army Combat Engineers. He was discharged in 1963. 

Caryl and Irma married in 1964. They lived in Hanford, then moved to Tulare where Caryl started a muffler shop.

They eventually relocated to Monterey where he worked as a service manager for Singleton Chevrolet  They resided there for seven years, eventually moving to Lakeport where he worked for various car dealerships before starting his own automotive repair business. Caryl retired in 2000.

Caryl loved pursuing his passion, drag racing. He owned and raced a Modified B Roadster and was a charter member of the Juggers Racing Team, which specializes in driving nostalgic race cars. He also was a member of the National Hot Rod Association.

His sons also were involved with their dad as his pit crew, making it a family affair. Together they loved driving to race tracks in Sonoma, Bakersfield, Medford, Ore., and Las Vegas, where he won several races in his class. Caryl also loved hunting, fishing and being outdoors, cutting firewood for his family was a passion of his.

Caryl is survived by his loving wife, Irma; two sons, Ronald (Doris) and Jeffrey (Megan) of Lakeport; daughter, Laura Vandewarker (Aaron) of Ukiah; and his beautiful grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Owen and Thomas Vandewarker of Ukiah and Freya Lankford of Kelseyville.

He will be greatly missed by those he loved and cared about. 

Memorial services will be scheduled at a later date.

For further information call Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary at 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611 or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .