It is with great sadness that we announce that our dear friend and Board President, Edgar Engert, passed away on January 10, 2021, from complications of COVID-19 at the age of 85. Our thoughts are with his beloved wife of 63 years, Renate, their children — Liane, Ronnie and Jim, and their five grandchildren and one great grandchild. 

Born in Germany, Edgar moved to the United States in 1958 to pursue better opportunities for his growing family.  For 44 years, Edgar was a key manager at the Ecke Ranch and served as a company ambassador to flower growers around the world.  

Edgar has served on the Board of Directors of the San Dieguito Heritage Museum for several years and last year he enthusiastically assumed the role of Board President. In recent months, he was actively engaged in the campaign to save, relocate, and restore the 1885 Dunham House at its new location on the Heritage Ranch campus.

Edgar was no stranger to civic involvement. He demonstrated a deep commitment to the Encinitas community over several decades. He served on the Board of Directors of the Magdalena Ecke YMCA for 30 years and the San Diego Botanic Garden for 10 years. He also served as Director of the Encinitas North Coast Chamber of Commerce for seven years, including two years as president. He was responsible for two of the Chamber’s major fundraisers—Oktoberfest and Cinco de Mayo. Edgar also implemented a beautification project of hanging flower baskets along the Coast Highway in historic downtown Encinitas to acknowledge Encinitas as the “Flower Capital of the World.” Edgar was instrumental in establishing the Encinitas Holiday Parade, a treasured community event. He took great pride and derived much joy from organizing and producing the Flower and Garden Show at the Del Mar Fair for 18 years.   Edgar was a long-time member of the Encinitas Rotary Club and participated in many of the local community service projects.  Most recently, Edgar single-handedly acquired contributions of 150 poinsettia plants from local growers for the Rotary Club’s annual poinsettia auction, resulting in a sizable donation to the Community Resource Center.  Such was Edgar’s commitment to the Encinitas community that he was known as “Mr. Encinitas.” 

Edgar was a warm, friendly, and charming man with a gift for telling amusing stories delivered in his signature German accent. To know Edgar was to love him. His smiling face will be missed by all who knew him. 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial gifts may be made in his name to the San Dieguito Heritage Museum, 450 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas, CA 92024. Donations may also be made on the museum website here:  Donate to Edgar Engert Memorial Fund