Sidney R. Lieb, 87, of Oakdale, California, passed away on June 12, 2026 in Los Banos, California.
He was born June 8, 1939 in Battle Creek, Michigan. He grew up on a family farm in Assyria, Michigan, just north of Battle Creek. He was the last survivor of 18 children in his blended family.
Of the 18, Sidney “Sid” was the youngest of seven children born to his parents, John C. Lieb and Ethyl (Jones) Lieb.
In the late 1950s Sid decided farming wasn’t in his future and left the family farm with his girlfriend, Valdene Easterday and began a journey on foot by hitch-hiking and bus rides toward Southern California where Sid had relatives living.
Both Sid and Valdene found jobs, a place to rent and started their lives in Lawndale, California. Eventually they married and had two children, Raymond John Lieb and Gene Raymond Lieb.
A 1970 earthquake in Southern California found Sid and his family heading north in a U-Haul to the home of half-brother, James Lieb, who lived in Soulsbyville near Sonora, California. On the way, Sid and his family stopped in Oakdale and Valdene commented that she would like to live here, so that’s where they settled.
Valdene went to work at Hershey’s in Oakdale and Sid started his own lawn mowing business.
Years later, as life experiences can create change, Sid and Valdene divorced in November 1985 and Sid married Linda Angell on December 28, 1989.
Sid continued his lawn mowing business through his early 80s and although he stopped mowing lawns, he never stopped driving to the walnut, peach, cherry and apricot orchards each year to pick fruit and nuts and give them to anyone he met.
During Sid’s entire life he would stop each morning at the Oakdale Post Office on his way to Scotty’s Donuts to check for mail at PO BOX 164 of which he used for 56 years. Over those years, thousands of conversations took place both inside Scotty’s Donuts and in front of the Post Office.
Sid was active in the Oakdale Dinner Club and the Knights Ferry Masonic Lodge. He spent many years as a Shriner and a former member of the Oakdale Grange. One of his many hobbies was as a Citizen Band (CB Radio) operator, using the handle, “Yellow Banana” after purchasing the first bright yellow, Dodge Club Cab pickup from the Oakdale Dodge dealership in 1977.
Sid is survived by his sons Raymond Lieb of Bullhead City, Arizona, Gene Lieb of Los Banos, California, many nieces, nephews and grandchildren.
Sid is preceded in death by his wife, Linda Lieb, his parents and 17 brothers and sisters.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, August 8, 2026 at the Gladys L. Lemmons Senior Community Center, 450 East A St., Oakdale.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his name to the Oakdale Dinner Club or the Knights Ferry Masonic Lodge.
The Oakdale (Calif.) Leader
The Riverbank (Calif.) News
July 29, 2026
