City Farmers Nursery mourns passing of founder

The family of Bill Tall — known as “Farmer Bill” to his family, employees and customers — has announced he died on Jan. 26 after a long battle with cancer. Bill Tall was the founder of the San Diego, California-based City Farmers Nursery, and has paused business from Jan. 26 to Feb. 3 to allow family members and employees time to grieve.

His children, Rebecca, Sam and Sara, shared the following tribute to their father on their website:

“We wish we were able to share this news personally with each of you, the way Bill would have: across the nursery's front counter — the place he was happiest — where you approach as a customer and leave as a friend.

After an extraordinary and uphill battle against cancer and liver failure, our founder, Bill Tall, has passed away. He was at home, surrounded by the sounds of the nursery ever-present; the background music of a life lived on his own terms.

A true individual — there was, and will only ever be, one Farmer Bill.

His fight was Herculean, with a will stronger than any treatment that was thrown at the disease. Like everything in his life, Bill fought cancer his way.

But didn't do it alone. And our family cannot thank you enough.

Thank you for being with Bill through the journey.

Your prayers, words of encouragement and uplifting messages buoyed him. Bill was given good-luck totems that he carried everywhere he went. Congregations and individuals of so many denominations and faiths, far and near, prayed for his healing. Your continued support of Bill's dream, helping our family and team making it through an unprecedented pandemic and grief.

The exceptional medical team at Scripps/Anderson MD and LightBridge Hospice went every extra mile. Bill never accepted the standard diagnosis, bending the health industry to treat him as an Individual. Challenging them to do better than the 'best they could offer.’ And so they did.

Nearly three quarters of a million dollars of treatment was donated by drug manufacturers — these efforts prolonged Bill's life by years, while ensuring he maintained a wonderful quality of life. His doctors considered him a walking miracle — Doctors and the medical staff the family will forever be grateful to — Drs. Sigal, Frenette, Kuo, Stemple, and his health advocate, Dr. Bougie.

We barely have the words to thank our incredible nursery team. Daily, they maintained a steadiness during six years of ups and downs. Their world was upended with the diagnosis, and they, along with the support of you, our community, made it possible for our family's focus to be on Bill. 

With personal sacrifice and increased workloads, our team simply found a way, day after day, to dig deep and love Bill, and us, through this. Even as it hit its worst, during the pandemic, never once would you hear any unhappiness about yet another appointment, or a delayed return. They handled the upheavals like caring professionals and looked after Bill like family.

Time and again, we witnessed the generosity Bill put into this lifetime return ten-fold. We saw the man who was a natural giver learn to receive. We saw Bill, the definition of Self-Sufficiency, be reciprocated for his lifetime of generosity, and be cared for — with phone calls and visits, healing work (special thanks to his acupuncturist, Tyme, and reflexologist, Linda, who made house calls), gifts of remedies and treatments, home cooked meals, a birthday drive-thru, freshly baked cookies, a first squash harvest, and unhurried conversations.

In the last days, the gifts of music filled the home, and caring messages that were sent by the hundreds were read each morning to Bill, starting his day off with the love and impact felt by people all over.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the scholarship he established at Southwestern Community College Foundation, Memo: City Farmers - providing educational scholarships to students passionate about a career in horticulture. Bill's lifelong passion.

The nursery will pause business Wednesday, January 27th through Wednesday, February 3rd, reopening February 4th, allowing our family and staff time together. His family and staff will then enter into their first Spring season without their founder. They look forward to seeing each of you again.

On a personal note, your outpouring of messages is keeping us going. We may be slow to reply, but please know we read each and every message over the days to come. Thank you for your support, and thank you helping us carry on every good thing he’s taught us, in his memory.”