Remembering Herschel Lee Lucas

Photo, obituary courtesy Kimberli Gage

Herschel Lee Lucas 12-12-48 to 7-1-15

Dear Father to Kimberli Gage, Kristen Curtis, and Herschel Lee Lucas Jr. Loving brother to Sherri Miller and Margo Bisutti. Grandfather to Cameron, Samantha, Courtney, Ashton and Nicolas. Uncle to Joann, Donna, Scott, Johnny, William, Sean and many more nieces, nephews and cousins. He was also a longtime friend of many in the bakery business and bodybuilding communities.

Due to health issues Herschel has returned to the Lord, much too young, much too soon, and we pray he rests in peace. Only the immediate family will have a small gathering to scatter his ashes in the San Francisco Bay; this was Herschel’s wish.

Herschel grew up in San Francisco and Hayward. He was an outstanding athlete and had been offered a spot on one of our minor league teams at 18 years old, which meant endless opportunities for his future. Herschel was a very talented kid and was great at whatever he decided to do.

When he was 17, he worked as a busboy at Pring’s Coffee Shop & Bakery in San Leandro, where he hung out with the bakers. While there, he made a decision to forego the minor league baseball opportunity so he could attend Laney College in Oakland to learn the trade of baking and cake decorating. He felt this was the right decision since he had a brand new baby girl and a loving wife who needed stability. As Herschel attended Laney College a phenomenal baker and cake decorator was in the making.

He started his first job after Laney College at Neldam’s Danish Bakery on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, eventually opening his own bakery, named Herschel’s Bakery, on Alvarado Blvd in Fremont. At this time, Herschel was very much into bodybuilding, something he started at a young age. He worked out at Walt’s Gym in Hayward on E. 14th Street, five to six days a week. He met and knew guys like Lou Ferrigno, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and other bodybuilding world champions, from whom he gained his motivation.

At the time he opened his bakery, Herschel was training at Bob’s Gym for the Mr. Fremont contest, where he took 5th place. He was very disciplined when it came to anything to which he put his mind. Over time, he met many old school bakers around the Bay Area and was always eager to learn new “old” recipes and the ways from the old countries. These recipes became favorites to many.

He made things like Portuguese sweet bread, petit fours, Napoleons, baklava, Florentines, and Danish so delicious that when you tasted them, you thought you had died and gone to heaven. His cakes were delicious, and the decorating was the most beautiful most had ever seen.

He was truly ahead of his time when he was delivering seven-tier wedding cakes with waterfalls running through them.

While working at Neldam’s, Herschel was asked to make Lucille Ball’s 75th Birthday cake and then the 25th-anniversary cake for Godzilla at KTVU channel 2 news, where both cakes were presented on live television by Pat McCormick.

He also made and decorated many cakes for the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers year after year by special request. Several police officers and local community would gather outside Herschel’s Bakery on Sunday mornings waiting for the Danish to cool on the racks. An executive chef of a cruise liner once told Herschel that he had tasted pastry all over the world and Herschel’s was some of the very best he had ever had.

Herschel Lucas made many families and businesses very happy with his delights. He decorated cakes that were the talk of many celebrations and he will forever be remembered. Herschel made many friends and loyal customers over the years and he will be dearly missed.

If you would like to share something about Herschel with his daughter Kimberli: 916-824-1177 or 925-487-6387. Flowers are not necessary. Thank you for your thoughts.