Author and Historian Erin Graffy de Garcia, Santa Barbara’s ‘Society Lady,’ Dies of Cancer

Longtime resident and Noozhawk columnist is remembered for her sense of humor, especially in her ‘How to Santa Barbara’ book series

Erin Graffy, wearing a bright flower in her hair for Fiesta season, is remembered as Santa Barbara’s premier Old Spanish Days Fiesta historian.

Erin Graffy de Garcia, Santa Barbara’s preeminent socialite, elegant emcee, and passionate historian and author passed away January 20, 2025.

Graffy authored “How to Santa Barbara,” a popular romp that with humor and sarcasm nailed precisely the culture of Santa Barbara.

Locals loved the book for its fierce defense of Santa Barbara’s sensibilities, and real estate agents scooped it up and distributed it to new homeowners in the area to learn about the city. The first book was so successful that it sparked two sequels.

“Bike paths are very much appreciated by the 143 cyclists who actually use them,” she wrote. “The other cyclists will insist on weaving in and out of traffic down De la Vina Street while ignoring the dedicated bike lane two blocks over on Castillo.”

“My sister had a brilliant sense of humor, and she loved to raise up Santa Barbara,” said her sister, Colleen Graffy. “She cared about the history of Santa Barbara, and the people who made Santa Barbara what it is and what it was. She truly was Santa Barbara’s society lady.”

Graffy died January 20, 2025 of cancer. She was 69.

She was born in Kansas, and her family moved to Santa Barbara when she was a toddler. Her mother, Jeanne Graffy, served on the Santa Barbara City Council in the 1980s, and as Santa Barbara County Second District supervisor in the mid-1990s.

Graffy attended local schools and later graduated from Pepperdine University, which she attended on a voice scholarship.

“She was an incredible singer,” said her brother, Neal Graffy, also a historian.

The two had a close, lifelong relationship, were “thicker than thieves,” he said, and they often uplifted and helped each other’s writing.

They had a way of understanding each other’s writing, and an ability to look at Santa Barbara through their shared histories.

“There’s a rhythm and a bounce to writing,” Neal Graffy said. “As an editor, you don’t want to destroy that. Our strongest thing as brother and sister was the research we were doing and the writing we were doing.”

He said they always knew to support each other’s work.

Erin Graffy wrote a series of books titled “How to Santa Barbara.”

“We both always gave each other credit if we were giving a talk,” Neal Graffy said.

The two, however, were also competitive in a friendly way.

“If my books were on the display racks, she would move them and put hers on the display rack,” Neal Graffy recalled.

Graffy, whose big smile lit up rooms she entered, wrote for many local media publications, including most recently writing a “Talk of the Town” column for Noozhawk.

Her six-part series on the history of the Child’s Estate, now the Santa Barbara Zoo, is among Noozhawk’s most-read series.

For years, Graffy worked in marketing and public writing for nonprofit organizations and businesses. She was a copywriter and was ubiquitous at nonprofit social events, wearing her trademark hat and beaming smile.

She was also the premier Old Spanish Days Fiesta historian, sporting a bright flower in her hair every season and indulging in the dances of the annual event.

She met her husband, Jim, at a dance class, and the two were inseparable. The two loved to dance together, Neal Graffy said.

“No matter what the orchestra was playing, Erin and Jim could do it,” Neal Graffy said.

She served on the Old Spanish Days Board of Directors. She gave frequent walks and tours of Santa Barbara, highlighting various aspects of its history.

She also had her quirks.

Neal Graffy said his sister disliked coffee and carbonated beverages, but she loved chocolate.

“If it wasn’t chocolate, it was not dessert,” Neal Graffy recalled of his sister’s attitude.

At the Santa Barbara Club, he said, when the staff put out dessert, they knew to put out something with chocolate if his sister was there.

She was well-known in political circles, and through her efforts made Dingle, Ireland, an official Santa Barbara sister city.

Former Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum remembers her fondly.

“Erin was just such a good person,” Blum said. “She was funny, with a great sense of humor, political humor.”

Former Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider said Graffy was an incredible storyteller.

“She brought life, color and texture describing Santa Barbara history with such flair and in a way that made you feel like you were there in the moment,” Schneider said.

Her sense of humor was on full display in her “How to Santa Barbara” books, Schneider said.

“She cared deeply about Santa Barbara’s heritage and loved to share details with both locals and visitors from around the world,” Schneider said.

“As mayor, I appreciated her participation at many Santa Barbara’s Sister Cities events, both here at home and globally, and her love of old folk dances that we saw during every Fiesta.”

She also authored “Saint Barbara: The Truth, Tales, and Trivia of Santa Barbara’s Patron Saint.”

However, her “How to Santa Barbara” books perhaps were what cemented her literary legacy in Santa Barbara.

In one excerpt, previously published in Noozhawk, Graffy wrote:

“We have our very own local nonprofits that will help you mind your temper, heal the ocean, get oil out, adopt bunnies, rescue elephants, party on the longest day of summer by dressing like a vegetable and guzzling beer, prune your roses, enjoy pasta in the park with the Italian booters, stop nuclear bombs from exploding, recall the rich historic Spanish era by slurping margaritas atop a horse, RSVP to send grandma out to volunteer, take a hike, watch people read stories, meet people new to town, and even send a live Raggedy Ann to the hospital to talk to patients. There is always something for everybody! (There is even a nonprofit to help you start your very own nonprofit.)”

She could also be brief with her humor.

“Volunteer work is the drug of choice for many a Santa Barbara woman,” Graffy wrote.

Her family said the community has lost someone who loved Santa Barbara deeply.

“Santa Barbara as a whole is going to lose one of the best event organizers, emcees and auctioneers for the nonprofit world,” Neal Graffy said. “She helped people organize and bring people together.”