Elden “Red” Nutt was remembered as a friend, father figure, and even a common sense guy.

Those were the words of the members of the Ripon City Council at the onset of Tuesday’s meeting.

Nutt, 77, passed away Nov. 21. His funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at the Calvary Reformed Church, 741 Second St. in Ripon.

Chuck Winn, as one of the last actions on the council – he served 12 years on the City of Ripon post and now moves on to his elected seat on the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors – paid tribute to his vice mayor.

“I considered him personal friend,” said Winn, who often saw Nutt at the various city functions where he was helping out rather than just attending.

He added: “I’m so glad to have had an opportunity to serve on the council with him. There was no one quite like him. He was a truly an original.”

Dean Uecker looked at Nutt as a father figure. He remembered him from long ago as a youth from Manteca visiting Ripon, where Nutt was on the police chief. “Red used to run me out of town,” he recalled.

While on the council, Uecker learned from Nutt the ropes of the job. “I’ll remember him as a common sense guy who cared about the city,” he said.

Jake Parks didn’t have a long history with Nutt but had plenty of interaction with him during the past six years on the Ripon Planning Commission and the Ripon City Council. “I used pick his brain,” he said.

From that, Parks could see the integrity from Nutt, in particular, on his decisions that were in the best interest of the city.

“He had a lot of foresight,” he said. “He was not stuck in the past – I came to admire and respect Red.”

As for Zuber, he knew Nutt for many years, from his time as Superintendent of the Ripon Unified School District to their time on the Council.

“He was very pragmatic,” he said. “He was easy to talk to but not easy to talk at – but you knew where you stood (with him).”

Zuber, who takes over as mayor from Winn, also learned from Nutt, who was in line to take over once again as mayor prior to his passing.

“Red stood for something. He showed that you have to give a little to get a lot,” he said.