By Brett Callwood
The city of Gardena has suffered a terrible loss due to the passing of beloved local businessman, photographer and family man George Castro.
Castro, who would have turned 98 in July, was well known by locals thanks to his family’s photo studio on Gardena Boulevard, which has been a local fixture for many years.
“I was born in Lake Valley, NM (a small mining town population of six families) in 1927,” Castro told the News in 2022 when he turned 95. “My childhood was poverty up to when FDR was elected. The only time we had candy or an apple was when the school gave out the Christmas stockings.”
It was in 1957 that Castro’s interest in photography developed (pun intended). “I wanted to buy a professional camera so I went to the pawn shops downtown, but didn’t have the $127.00 to buy it,” he said. “I was working at Douglas Aircraft full time, and I got a part-time job at a car wash in Hollywood on weekends and at Mas & Isamu Mobil gas station on Compton (Marine now) and Normandy until I made enough money to buy it.”
Castro set about practicing with his wife, taking pictures whenever and wherever possible. “Anyone I could talk into posing for me – neighbors’ children, wives, entire families, girls at work (one was a former model she help me a lot),” he said. “I’d talk photography with anyone that would listen. In 1962 I attended the Gardena Photo Day put on by the Gardena Camera Club at Recreation Park (Mas Fukia now) with a lot of photographers and models from different clubs. They had a contest for Miss Photogenic and Print contest for best photo for photographers. I entered the print contest, with a print I took of the girl that won Miss Photogenic, and won first place.”
Gardena.
“He was always doing something,” Castro’s daughter Theresa Lewis told the GVN this week. “He always had a to-do list. Always outside doing something in the garage and stuff like that. When we were kids, we always went to Builders’ Emporium. Wherever he went, we went with him. He always had dinner at 5 pm. Right after the studio closed, and then at 8 p.m., he went right back to the studio to do more work for the next day. It seemed like he was always home, but I know he was at the studio just as much.”
Becca Lewis, Castro’s granddaughter, said that he was immensely proud of his work.
“I think part of what he was proud of was that it was something that he was able to share with his family. Not only did he make a career out of something he loved to do, but he was able to provide for his family doing it and leave a legacy for the many generations of our family. My grandpa has some amazing histories captured in the photos he has taken. My grandpa would always tell you the story behind a picture, too. He could tell you everything else that was going on at the time he took that photo, even if he took it 40 years ago.”
Theresa said that, after doctor visits, they would go out to eat and Castro would always have a story to tell.’
“He told me about how he raised money for his first camera or how he got started taking photos for beauty pageants,” she said. “My favorite story was how he met my mom at Douglas Aircraft in the 1950s. She caught his eye, and he made sure to go to her section of Douglas just so he could see her and she could see him, and then one day on the bulletin board, he saw a note that said ‘If you come from LA, would you like to carpool?’ And he took the note off the board, and the rest is history. My mom always said he was the sharpest-dressed man at Douglas.”
One day me and my sister Barbara asked my dad if he would say something at our church,” added daughter Christina McVay. “They were recognizing the Hispanics and their accomplishments this Sunday. He agreed. I had heard his story many times, but never like this. He spoke a lot about his mom and dad and the day he left them to go to California. His mom told him, “God is with you, you’re going to be okay. Just remember God is always with you. He talked about his journey and his faith walk with God by his side. In his times of need, he would always recall what his mother said. Now, being ableto sit down and read some of his writing, I see how much he loved the Lord. The whole church loved the speech, and I was super proud of him for sharing that.”
“April Fool’s was a day he dedicated to pranking his grandkids,” said granddaughter Paula Ramirez. “He made sure to catch them, whether in person or on the phone. Cinco De Mayo parades were a big part of the family, even participating in the 2024 parade. From dresses to helping with the Cinco de Mayo pageant, walking in the parade, and everything in between. He liked to go for walks in the alley and occasionally came back with trash treasures, a pastime he passed down to his daughter Barbara.”
George Castro will be missed by everyone who knew him. Theresa Lewis said that his pictures will live on forever though. “And the work ethic he taught each one of us,” she said. “It wasn’t just the studio, it was our home. We went when we were kids, our kids went there, great grandkids went there.”
“His legacy is all his photos,” said Christina McVay. “Also, being a decent human, treating others with much love and respect.”
“People will remember his dedication to his community and most of all his dedication to his family, Castro Studios, family-owned and operated since 1964,” said Paula Ramirez.
“I think it’s hard for us to know what the legacy will be,” said Becca Lewis. “My grandpa has worked with so many people and families in the communities of Gardena and Carson, I’m sure for years to come we will come across someone who my grandpa took photos of.”
In conclusion, Becca Lewis said that her grandfather always had time for each of his family members, despite the fact that he had such a large family.
“One thing I will always think about when I think of my grandpa is how he had such a big family, yet he had time for all of us,” she said. “He knew what every single grandkid was up to. And he was always there for every family gathering, even if it was a birthday cake on a Tuesday night. He was there.”
