Steve Wiley

Wiley and I played together for a number of years on the UC Davis Rugby Team. In particular, Wiley, Connor and I had a memorable time playing together on the 1977-1978 UC Davis "B" rugby team. I have run into him off and on over the years, including a UC Davis Rugby 1970's Alumni Reunion.

Steven Roberts Wiley passed away unexpectedly but peacefully at his home on Monday, July 20 at the age of 68.

Steve was a Salinas Valley native. He was a fourth-generation Californian whose Wiley family roots trace back to the mid-1800s when Steve's great great grandfather Mordecai Wheeler Wiley, a 49er originally from Ohio, homesteaded land in the Arroyo Seco region of the Valley.

Steve graduated as co-salutatorian from Gonzales Union High School in 1975. He was a multi-sport athlete, participating in wrestling and track & field, where he set a school record for discus throw. On the football team, Steve was an all-league offensive tackle on the Spartan 1974 Mission Trail Athletic championship team, a squad long-remembered as one of the finest in Gonzales history. Steve was the recipient of the team's Scholastic Player Award that season. The 1974 team was later inducted into the Salinas Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2025.

Following high school Steve attended the University of California at Davis, earning his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Science & Management in 1980. At Davis Steve was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and the Aggies Rugby team, forming lifelong friendships.

Steve worked over 40 years in the vegetable and flower seed industry. Steve built an international career that took him across the Americas and around the world. He held roles with Rockefeller Foundation in Venezuela, Menne Ranch Company, Cal Veg Sales Company, and Petoseed Company. He was co-founder of Sierra Seed Company in Nogales, AZ, and facilitated the company's growth into the largest vegetable seed dealer in its region. He subsequently had roles with Seminis and Monsanto Vegetable Seed before joining American Takii, Inc. as General Manager and Chief Executive Officer. Fluent in Spanish, Steve was known for the relationships he built with growers and business partners which resulted in a network of friends around the globe.

Steve served as Past Chair of the American Seed Trade Association's Vegetable & Flower Division. He was a longtime member of the Monterey County Farm Bureau, where he served on the board. He was also a member of the California Seed Association, Produce Marketing Association, United Fresh Produce Association, National Onion Association and the Seed Trade Association.

An avid outdoorsman, Steve cherished his annual horseback ride with the Desert Caballeros in Wickenburg, AZ. In Salinas he was a member of the Santa Lucia Parlor of the Native Sons of the Golden West. Steve had a lifetime of friendships built from school, hunting, fishing, ranching and travel.

Steve and Odette enjoyed 38 years of marriage together, marrying on July 23, 1988. Steve is survived by his wife of 38 years Odette and his daughters Gina and Lauren. He is also survived by brothers David, Kent and Keith and their spouses as well as multiple cousins in California and beyond. Steve was preceded in death by his parents Nancy Wiley and Allan "Buck" Wiley.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Monterey County Agricultural & Rural Life Museum or Ducks Unlimited.