On Saturday, September 16, 2023, Captain Carl Ray Dingler, loving husband and father of two, in the words of Tennyson, “crost the bar” at age eighty-one. One may ask; how did a butcher’s son from the San Joaquin Valley end up a Ship’s Captain, Panama Canal Pilot, and one of the founding members of the Port Hueneme Pilots Association? Well, his journey started in the then-small agricultural town of Visalia, California. Born the third son to Julius and Minnie Dingler, Carl graduated from Redwood High School with no real knowledge of a maritime career, but a score high enough to grant him a congressional appointment to the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point on Long Island, New York. Carl’s adventurous spirit, and what ended up being a lifelong love of traveling, led him to leave for Kings Point sight unseen. Carl often recalled those first few weeks being one of the most difficult times in his life, but his determination quickly led him to persevere and begin to dream of continuing his maritime education and experience in order to receive an Unlimited Master’s License and be eligible to become a Panama Canal Pilot.

While on this journey, over a summer break from college; Carl met the love of his life, Thelma, while working at his father’s meat market. One month after Carl graduated, from King’s Point, Carl and Thelma were married and Carl set about spending as much time at sea in order to sit for the necessary exams to advance up the ranks to obtain the position of Ship’s Captain. Two years after their marriage, Carl and Thelma’s son Eric was born. Once his Unlimited Master’s License was secured, Carl applied to the Association of Panama Canal Pilots and had the distinction, for a few months, of being the youngest pilot ever to be hired.

Carl, Thelma and Eric stayed in Panama for six years, enjoying the unique experience of living in the Canal Zone and adding to their family with the birth of their daughter, Amanda. In 1976, Carl and family returned to California and Carl began lightering oil tankers off the Pacific Coast. At that point, Carl set his sights on bringing Commercial Pilotage to the Port of Hueneme. Carl worked with the Oxnard Harbor District, the Navy Pilots and the local maritime community to establish a strong relationship that led to the inception of the Port Hueneme Pilots Association in 1983. Carl was a Charter Member of the Port Hueneme Harbor Safety Committee, serving from 1991 until his retirement. Carl served as the Senior Commercial Pilot at Port Hueneme until his retirement in 2006. Retiring to the deserts of Arizona, and later Nevada, Carl once shared that the sea had always been his adversary, and the desert was where he found peace.

When Carl was not piloting ships, he enjoyed tinkering around on his own boat, traveling with his wife or simply reading the newspaper and watching sports on television. Carl was best known for his determination, dry wit and calm demeanor under pressure. The “ice man”, as the tugboat crew liked to call him; Carl was the one you could always depend on to get the job done. Carl and Thelma returned to California in the summer of 2022 and settled into a small apartment at The Townehouse in Ventura; where Carl quickly endeared himself to the other residents with his kind words and tales of the sea. Carl was recognized by the US Merchant Marine Academy with the Meritorious Alumni Service Award and the Silver Mariner Award (for the successful pursuit of a professional career at sea).

Carl is survived by his wife, Thelma Dingler, their son Eric Dingler and daughter Amanda Reynolds; and two grandsons Jay Reynolds and Griffin Reynolds. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you donate to your favorite charity in Carl’s honor.

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