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Eddie Nunes
Oakdale Livestock Auction
Eddie Nunes was a first generation livestock auctioneer that had a great passion and love for the livestock auction business and the people that lived and worked in it. Eddie grew up on a dairy in the Central Valley town of Modesto, California and at a very young age, Eddie started attending livestock auctions with his father. He loved sitting there with his dad watching and listening to the auctioneers. Enamored with the auction chant, Eddie started to practice auctioneering by cutting the ends out of tin cans and using these hollow cans to sell dairy cows as the cattle came in and out of the dairy barn to be milked.
When Eddie started high school, he would volunteer to auction off baked goods and cakes at numerous school fundraisers; further honing his skills as a self-taught auctioneer. After high school, Eddie attended Modesto Junior College (MJC) with aspirations of becoming an artificial insemination technician. he soon realized that this would not be a great career move because he was not tall enough.
Soon after attending MJC, Eddie would start his livestock auction career working for the Riverbank Sales Yard in Riverbank, CA for Lavern Silva. He would work around the sale yard in the back penning cattle, sorting cattle, pushing cattle up to the ring and working in the ring. One day, Eddie asked Lavern if he could sell some baby calves from time to time. After a short time, Lavern became so impressed with Eddie's auctioneering abilities that he started to have Eddie sell the sale regularly. As luck would have it, Eddie’s auctioneering style and skill became very popular with the buyers and sellers in the area.
In the Mid 1960s, Eddie went to work for Hoke Evetts and Peter Belezuoli Sr. of Overland Stockyard in Hanford, CA. He worked for Hoke and Peter for six years. From that time on, Eddie would carve out a very successful career as a livestock auctioneer that would span over 57 years. Eddie would go on to work for or fill in at just about every livestock auction market across California’s Central Valley and Nevada during his career.
In the late 1970s, Eddie was given the opportunity to buy into the Oakdale Livestock Auction in Oakdale, CA with partners Pat O’Brien and Fred Howell. Eddie loved the many relationships he would build during his time as part owner and Auctioneer of Oakdale Livestock Auction. He worked very hard to service the needs of his consignors and his buyers and was highly regarded and respected by them. He would serve them very well for over 28 years. In 2002, Fred, Eddie, and Fred’s son Keith would sell the livestock auction to Producers Livestock Marketing Association of Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1985, Eddie went to work for Karen Cozzi of Turlock Livestock Auction Yard in Turlock, CA after Karen's Husband Bud Cozzitorto tragically died. He worked for Turlock Livestock Auction Yard for the next 35 years. He served as their lead auctioneer during these years demonstrating his dedication to the livestock auction industry.
Eddie loved his family very much and was a great husband, father, and grandfather to his children and grandchildren and loved spending time with everyone in his family. Eddie competed multiple times during his career in the Livestock Marketing Association’s World Livestock Auctioneer Championship and the International Livestock Auctioneer Championship in Calgary, Canada. In 1980, Eddie was awarded the 1980 Runner Up World Livestock Auctioneer Champion. Eddie also finished in the Top Ten of the WLAC in 2000 and 2001. In 1989, Eddie was awarded the 1989 Reserve International Livestock Auctioneer Champion and was also a Top Ten Finalist in 2013.
Over the years, Eddie helped and mentored many individuals in the livestock and livestock auction industry. He was always on hand to give advice and guidance and was highly thought of and respected for the impact he had on the people around him. In 2018, Eddie was Awarded the 2018 Friend of The Industry Award by the California Livestock Auction Markets Association for his many years of work and service to the Livestock Auction Industry.
Sadly, in 2019, Eddie was diagnosed with dementia and would battle the terrible disease for 6 years. On February 13th 2024, Eddie passed away peacefully at his home with his family by his side. Eddie Nunes was a great legend of the livestock auction industry and is fondly remembered for his big smile, his smooth rhythmic chant and the way he conducted business behind the microphone.