Redlands, CA - Fourth-generation citrus farmer Bert "Pete" Provo Marcum, Jr. passed away on April 16, 2026, with his daughter Jill and brother-in-law Doug by his side. The cause was melanoma.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii on Christmas Day, 1941, to Bert and Barbara Marcum, Sr., Pete enjoyed early days playing on the beach with family, and studying Life magazine cover to cover.

The growing family moved home to Redlands at the end of the War, and settled at the Arth citrus ranch on Pioneer. Pete grew up swimming in reservoirs, helping on the farm, playing Monopoly after school, roadtripping around the US, and spending time with his beloved Grandma Alice at Newport Beach. The extended Marcum and Arth clans met regularly, and Pete grew up surrounded by cousins and his three younger siblings, Rob, Joan, and Lynn.

Pete graduated from Redlands High School in 1959. During high, he attended the 1957 Boy Scout Jamboree, was involved in civic societies, and developed his love of projects and problem solving while excelling in machine shop classes. One of his early jobs was in mechanical drafting, and he maintained a lifelong love of good design.

At the University of Redlands, Pete met many of his lifetime buddies and joined the Kappa Sig fraternity. He also met his future wife, Barbara, in the U of R lunch line. After surviving perilous rides in his Austin Healey-an early project-they married in 1966 at the First Congregational Church of Redlands, honeymooned in Yosemite, and moved into their forever home. The happy couple did all of their own home renovations, spent time waterskiing the Colorado River with Pete's family, canoed in British Columbia, embarked on their love of sailing to Catalina and in the BVI, took up photography inspired by Ansel Adams, and backpacked all over the Sierras in conditions that made for great stories.

Pete studied business and finance, but wound up in the citrus business, first as pest control manager at Redlands Farming Company. In 1968, he took over as farm manager for Citrus Management. When the two concerns combined in 1972, Pete became manager of 4500 acres of citrus, involving 65 groves, 37 water companies, and an army of smudgers when the freezes came. Most mornings, he would join other growers at the A&W for their "Mentone Coffee Club." From 1984 to 2024, Pete personally incorporated Redlands Farming Company.

In 1974, Pete was appointed to the board of the Redlands-Highland-Yucaipa Resources Conservation District. Soil conservation was a heavy concern for Pete throughout his lifetime, having witnessed the devastating effects of DDT early in his career. With each new pest that threatened California crops, he was a vocal advocate for environmentally sustainable Integrated Pest Management over quick fixes.

In 1975, he was elected to the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District as a director for the Redlands division, and reelected in 1999. In 1982, Pete was appointed as a director of the Bear Valley Mutual Water Company for the Lugonia area, where he served until 2002.

In 2014, with growing threats to the citrus industry, Pete made the momentous decision to transplant his groves with avocados, leading a trend in the area. As groves were taken over by housing developments, Pete wound down RFCo and focused on his big, beautiful avocado trees. In October 2025, he was honored with the Friend of Farm Bureau award.

With the help of his treasured team, Pete worked on his groves until the day he died.

But, he also made time for fun...even if "fun" often meant working on more projects! Pete and Barbi spent years renovating their cabin at Bass Lake, where they would join friends and family for laughter, waterskiing, and quiet mornings with coffee and a book.

For decades, they refurbished and sailed progressively larger wooden boats, moored progressively farther north, culminating with the Argo in British Columbia. For weeks at a time, they would chart a course through the San Juan Islands, Gulf Islands, and up into Desolation Sound, no matter the weather.

Pete loved travelling to England and traipsing around the countryside in the rain, explaining to the perplexed locals in the pub that he wished there was that much rain for the trees back home. He was an avid art and antiques collector, particularly of old pub stools.

And as in his earliest days in Hawaii, Pete could be found every morning, assiduously reading the newspaper, cover to cover.

He is survived by his daughter, Jill Marcum. A memorial will be held on June 13th at 11am, at the First Congregational Church of Redlands. All are welcome.