Ted Cole will be remembered not only for his eight years on the Vista City Council, but also for his generosity and caring nature. He died Dec. 14 at age 72.
“Everybody loved Ted,” said his wife of 46 years, Vicki Cole. “There wasn’t a bad bone in his body.”
Ted Cole served on the City Council from 1990 to 1998 and was widely respected for his integrity, thoughtfulness, and steadfast commitment to the well-being of the city and its residents.
“Ted Cole served Vista with integrity, humility, and a genuine love for this community,” Mayor John Franklin said. “His eight years on the City Council reflected his strong values, thoughtful leadership, and deep sense of service.”
Rita Geldert, who worked closely with Cole when she was city manager of Vista, said that she will remember him as someone who always had time to listen to his constituents.
“He always enjoyed having the council chambers packed,” she said. “Most of all, he really wanted to make Vista a better place for people to live.”
Even after leaving the City Council when his son, Pierce, was born to spend more time with family, he remained active in local issues and frequently attended meetings.
“Ted never stopped caring,” Franklin said. “Even in the final months of his life, he remained civically engaged…. That kind of commitment says everything about who he was.”
In addition to being president at BLP Biolab Services, an antibody production facility, he was involved in the community as a member of local Lion’s and Optimist clubs and a coach with the Vista Storm Soccer Club.
He will be remembered as an outgoing and genuine person who was always looking out for others, his sister Carol Cole Galloway said.
“He was constantly giving, whether it was money or time,” she said. “People could count on him.”
His civic engagement and kindness were driven largely by his faith, his family said. This generosity included anything from giving his jacket to someone experiencing homelessness or paying the dinner bill for a first responder to volunteering to support children’s sports.
“He was one of the most selfless people I’ve ever met,” his son said. “He was just an amazing man.”
Ted Cole was born in Japan. His father was a Marine and met his mother there. As a child, the family moved a lot, settling in Vista when he was a teen. He was a champion swimmer and a football player at Vista High School. At Palomar College, he first experienced civic engagement as a member of the Associated Student Body.
He first got involved with the Vista City Council in the late 1980s when he fought against a large development in the southeastern Vista neighborhood he lived in at the time. This effort prompted some of his neighbors to encourage him to run for a seat on the council.
“Ted was a knock on your door, shake your hand, personally talk to you kind of guy,” his wife said. “Ted poured his heart into it. He listened to people.”
A celebration of life is being planned for January.