In Memoriam

Efale Allen McFarland

1944 – 2023

Sue Gross was kind enough to share her memories of Efale.

It was just before the 6 O’clock News in those prehistoric days before computers. The cavernous KCBS newsroom was in its usual uproar, typewriters and teletype machines clacking and banging, writers, anchors frantically running amok against the deadline. Efale, briefly in town, had stopped by, curious to see where I worked. We were on a ramp looking down at the mayhem when suddenly - silence. Everyone frozen, staring up at us. The producer held up a torn piece of teletype paper. In thick black marker he’d scrawled, “Sue, who is she?”

Now classmates, this was Hollywood. Literally. Sunset Boulevard. Sophia Loren had been there the week before for an interview and barely caused a stir. But Efale, in a simple white dress and gold necklace without a whiff of makeup, had stunned them into awed silence.

We all knew she was an unusual beauty even in jean cutoffs at Camp Augusta or starched middy blouse and pleated black skirt. But beauty is not what turned heads when she walked into a room. There was an undeniable luminance that shone from within.

In 1985 she insisted I join her elephant polo team at Tiger Tops in Nepal (who else but Efale would have a house in Katmandu and an elephant polo team?) but I couldn’t make it then and met her instead in India. Found her living like a maharanee outside New Delhi in a house that had been featured in Architectural Digest, guarded by discreet Nepalese Gurkhas, a household staff of thirty-six she managed with easy grace. Where did she learn to do that, I mused, watching her giving detailed instructions to the staff for a dinner party that night and thought of the ditty we naughty little girls used to scream out bus windows on the way to camp, we are the Piedmont girls so true; we always know just what to do. No, in that situation, I wouldn’t have. Efale did. “So glad you’re here as witness,” she confided with that wonderful laugh on a ride through the dusty countryside on one of her elephants. “Nobody in Piedmont would believe this.” That year she was trying to save Asian elephants, reforest a parched India and redecorate a hotel lobby in Singapore. For Efale, there was always a project she was throwing heart and soul into.

How to encapsulate the essence of such a life? Such a loved lifelong friend? The art she created? The husbands? The lovers? Don’t forget Omar Shariff, Carol reminded me last night. Shariff, really? As Design Consultant to the Oberoi Hotel Chain she flitted between Egypt, Africa, Bali, Nepal, Singapore and of course, India. Everywhere she immersed herself into the history and culture, constantly recommending books to me like Paul Scott’s The Raj Quartet or Kingfishers Catch Fire by Rumer Godden.

But home, her real spiritual home, was her beloved Rocky Roost at Lake Tahoe. I smile recalling the spontaneous parties she created out of thin air (without any staff) where everyone sincerely felt like they were just the one she had been dying to see. Spinning drama and laughter, her magic. Always familiar Piedmont faces there. Escaping to the boat house one night from a raucous party, I was awakened at 3 AM to Efale, Maryly, Carol and Steve Townsend all sitting on my bed, drinks in hand, accusing me of being a Piedmont Party Pooper.

One chilly autumn night at Tahoe when it was just the two of us, she invited a psychic over to give us readings by the fireplace built into an existing boulder she had refused to remove when remodeling the ancient house. (How Efale to encounter a massive boulder in her way and creatively transform it.)

To me the psychic warned of water problems. Check your car hose. (He was right. There was a leak.) But to Efale, firelight reflected in those expressive eyes, “You, my dear, are an astral being.” And in that he was right as well.

… a comet

Shooting back

Into the heavens

Burning bright

Throwing sparks

Against the night-blue sky

[Megan Holifield]

On November 28, Sue Gross forwarded me this obituary from the Santa Barbara News-Press.

Efale McFarland

SEPTEMBER 14, 1944 – NOVEMBER 3, 2023

Efale Allen McFarland, 79, passed away on November 3, 2023. Originally a native of the Bay Area, Efale lived in Santa Barbara since the 1990's.  An adventurer with a compassionate heart, Efale found joy in exploring the world, particularly India and Nepal. She had an abiding love and fascination for the animal kingdom. During her earlier years, Efale served as the Assistant Director for the Orca Project.  She also studied whales in British Columbia with Interspecies Communication. 

Efale was a past president and founder of the Asian Elephant Survival Foundation. Alongside her love for animals, she expressed her profound appreciation for nature through her art, capturing the beauty that surrounded her.  During her time in Santa Barbara, Efale also dedicated herself to the well-being of the elderly through her elder care home, The Fisher House.  Her commitment to providing comfort and support to seniors reflected her caring and nurturing spirit.  In 2012, she was recognized by the United States Congress and the California Senate as the Caregiver of the Year. 

A celebration of her life will be held on December 16th at 10 a.m at Hendry’s Beach, Santa Barbara, California. Some will be joining the celebration with heart and mind as they will be unable to attend in person. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the World Wildlife Fund (www.worldwildlife.org) are appreciated.