Obituaries

Bob Berry (1916-2018)

By Roderick Cameron | August 17, 2018

Bob Berry, renowned oak collector and longtime member of the IOS, died August 2, 2018 at the age of 102 in Gisborne, New Zealand. Bob described himself as a sheep and cattle farmer who collected trees as a hobby. His life’s work is Hackfalls Arboretum, a 50-ha plantation of trees and shrubs comprising over 3,000 taxa from 478 genera, including the largest oak collection in the Southern Hemisphere (453 accessions, c 160 taxa) and one of the finest collections of Mexican oaks anywhere.

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Ed Holm (1930 - 2018)

By Guy Sternberg | April 19, 2018

Ed Holm lived in Redwood City, California and was born on 4 September 1930 and died 1 January 2018.

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Michel Timacheff (Cannes, 1959 - Waterloo, 2018)

By Thierry Lamant | April 10, 2018

There are meetings that prove to be crucial, primordial encounters that mark our lives. My meeting with Michel Timacheff, an afternoon of October 1999 in Vallauris, was one of them.

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Bruce Bacon (1940 - 2017)

By Dan Keiser | December 2, 2017

I first met Bruce Bacon in 1984, and since then and through his Garden Farme, I learned about soils, fruits, salads, vegetables, organics, permaculture, sustainable ag, arbor care, tree propagation, prairie restoration, forest management, wetland preservation, weeding, mulching, woodchipping, landscaping, woodstove heating, bee keeping, domestic geese, sandhill cranes, the I-Ching, cooperatives, collaboratives, allies, CSA's, resistance, revolution, kitchen table philosophy... and the list goes on.

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Bernard de La Rochefoucauld (1922-2017)

By Website Editor | October 9, 2017

Comte de la Rochefoucauld, understandably proud of his Franklinia

Bernard de La Rochefoucauld, long-time IOS member with his wife Brigitte, founder of l’Arboretum des Grandes Bruyères, died July 18, 2017, shortly before his 95th birthday.

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Earl Cully (1927 - 2017)

By Website Editor | June 15, 2017

Earl Cully, 90, of Jacksonville, Illinois passed away on Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at his home. Earl was a long-time member of the International Oak Society and participated in several of our conferences. Early in Earl’s life he developed a passion for trees and he was nurtured by several mentors including horticulture professor J.C. McDaniel of the University of Illinois, who shared his knowledge and ability to “see” and evaluate woody plants

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Michael Heathcoat Amory (1941 - 2016)

By James MacEwen | April 2, 2016

It is with great sadness that I share with IOS members the news that Michael Heathcoat Amory died on the 24th of February.

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Jo Bömer (1943 - 2015)

By Trompenburg Gar... | March 12, 2015

Very unexpectedly, in her home in Klein Zundert, The Netherlands, Jo Bömer passed away on March 4^th 2015.

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Departed Friends

By Guy Sternberg | February 7, 2014

This past year we lost three of our prominent, longtime members.

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Editor's Picks

Yoko’s Oaks

"Japanese oaks" planted at Coventry Cathedral

Steve Potter | Dec 21, 2025

Post-Conference Tour: Oaxaca

Six days exploring Oaxaca’s oak diversity, as reported by...

Wally Wilkins | Dec 10, 2025

One of the first planted circles on Hampton Common, London, in partnership with Orleans House Gallery 2025. © Studio Ackroyd & Harvey

Virtuous Circles: Oaks and the Art of Ackroyd & Harvey

Oaks planted in circles as a continuation of the artwork...

Steve Potter | Dec 10, 2025

Plant Focus

Species Spotlight: Quercus castaneifolia C.A.Mey

Chestnut-leaf oak in habitat and in cultivation