Carl Dean Nuffer

OBITUARY

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Carl Dean Nuffer, 69, on July 23, 2026. Carl was diagnosed nearly two years ago with glioblastoma, an aggressive and terminal brain cancer. Carl faced his disease with great courage and resolve and navigated the final weeks of his life with dignity and grace. He passed peacefully in his home, surrounded by his loving family.

Carl will be remembered most for his love and devotion to his wife Gayle and their three sons, Tyler, Alex, and Jake. He was a loving, supportive, and engaged husband, father, son, brother, and uncle.

Born November 21, 1956, in Calexico, California, to David and Mary Nuffer, Carl grew up in a handful of Southern California cities, including Redlands, Hermosa Beach, and Manhattan Beach. Ultimately, his parents settled in the Point Loma/Sunset Cliffs neighborhood of San Diego.

Graduating from Point Loma High School in 1975, Carl went on to earn a bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1980. He later earned his Master of Science in Geological Sciences at San Diego State University.

Carl met his wife, Gayle Anders, outside a Grateful Dead concert in Watsonville, California in 1983. From this chance meeting, they became soulmates and were married in 1986. Their loving relationship spanned over 40 years.

His career as a Professional Geologist in the field of environmental remediation included assessment, cleanup, and monitoring of hazardous waste sites for Nachant Environmental, Seacor, Navy Public Works Center, and Parsons. His work entailed risks but reflected his deep love of the natural world and his dedication to preserving the environment.

Carl’s appreciation of nature and adventure drew him to ambitious challenges, including riding his bike across the U.S. in his twenties and climbing the 4,800-foot face of Yosemite’s Half Dome in his forties. With his family and friends, he enjoyed surfing, cycling, rock climbing, skiing, hiking, camping, river rafting, and golfing. He particularly enjoyed taking his sons and their friends on numerous camping and surfing trips to Baja and even made it to Indonesia and Australia.

Carl’s love of baseball led him to devote 14 years of service to Point Loma Little League as a coach, board member, president, umpire, and quasi-groundskeeper. He could often be found pulling weeds, scraping gum off bleachers, and chalking the playing field lines. In his many roles, he modeled the key values of team sports for the players-good sportsmanship, respect, commitment, patience, and doing one’s best, win or lose. One of the highlights of Carl’s life was watching his sons play baseball beyond Little League, with Alex playing catcher in high school and college.

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Nothing warmed Carl’s heart more than witnessing his three sons grow up to become men of character, integrity, and kindness. Carl was so proud of their creative, athletic, academic, professional, and personal accomplishments. Tyler and Jake are professional musicians living in Los Angeles, and Alex is a landscape architect living in Minneapolis with his wife, Caroline.

Music was always a big part of Carl’s life, whether it was playing the harmonica or guitar in his local “dad band” The Openers, joining his sons and brother on the patio to play songs such as Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” or Christmas caroling with long-time family, friends and neighbors. He enjoyed many live music performances over the years, including multiple Jimmy Buffett concerts dating back to 1973. The songs of The Allman Brothers, Steely Dan, Jackson Browne, CSNY and other bands could often be heard playing in their Point Loma home. Carl and Gayle loved watching their sons’ musical performances, from childhood recitals to concerts in places like Red Rocks and Radio City Music Hall.

Carl and his family were lucky enough to live near his parents, Mary and Dave, as well as his brother Larry and family for over forty years. Sunday family dinners and Padres Spring Training trips were Nuffer traditions that were rarely missed. Carl also graciously welcomed Gayle’s large extended family for countless gatherings in their home, which served as a hub for family and friends alike.

In Carl’s retirement years, Gayle and Carl enjoyed many road trips in their 4WD camper. Their adventures were often off the beaten path and included remote places of natural beauty, such as Baja, national parks, and Canada. He especially loved the geologic wonders of the Colorado Plateau, where he and Gayle, along with friends and family, experienced one of their favorite trips rafting through the mighty Grand Canyon.

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In his final months, amid physical and cognitive challenges, Carl stayed committed to being active, walking along Sunset Cliffs and riding his e-bike to the gym and radiation treatments. His perseverance and love of life were unrelenting and testified to his exceptional bravery. Carl is survived by his wife, Gayle; his three sons, Tyler, Alex, and Jake; his mother, Mary Nuffer; his siblings, Sheryll Roonan and Larry Nuffer; and a wide circle of extended family and friends who will forever miss his pitch-perfect voice, his boisterous laugh, and his genuine, kind, and humble nature.

Carl was very grateful for his excellent care at UCSD’s Moore’s Cancer Center where he participated in clinical trials and donated to advance research of brain cancer. In lieu of flowers, the Nuffer family requests donations to the Anders/Nuffer Family Brain Cancer Research Fund at UCSD to support the Neurological Surgery Patient Tissue Bank, an essential resource for advancing the understanding and treatment of brain tumors. Giving Instructions: Make gifts payable to UC San Diego Foundation, Note: E7849 – Anders/Nuffer Brain Cancer Research Fund, in memory of Carl Nuffer. Online Giving: https://giveto.ucsd.edu/giving/AndersNuffer Brain Cancer Research Fund Mailing address: UC San Diego Foundation, 9500 Gilman Drive, #0940, La Jolla, CA 92093-0940. Or, by joining Team Carl in the San Diego Head for the Cure walk on 10/10/26, you are supporting UCSD’s brain cancer research and neurology precision surgery: https://impact.headforthecure.org/fundraiser/7409729 ; Or, support Alex and Caroline in the Twin Cities Marathon 10/10/26, funds going to National Brain Tumor Society https://nbtsevents.braintumor.org/fundraiser/7379678 . In addition, the Nuffer family will establish a need-based scholarship for youth music lessons at the First Friday Music Club – a favorite non-profit of the Nuffer family.