By Sara Beth Williams–
A Citrus Heights man who became legendary for growing the state’s largest pumpkin in 2023, has died.
Ronald Jay Root, who went by Ron, died on July 18 at 65 years old, according to his sister. Karen Root. Ron Root became famous in 2023 for growing the state’s largest pumpkin, which weighed over 2,400 pounds.
A memorial service will be held for Root on Saturday, Aug. 23, at 2 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Center, located at 6151 H St. in Sacramento. All are welcome, the family said.
Root was an avid outdoorsman, according to his sister, and never married, but “came close.” Karen Root said she and her brother were two of six children born in Oakland and that their father was also an avid outdoorsman. Root learned to hunt after he was 10 years old and loved hunting, his sister said.
Ron’s childhood dream was to become a pilot, and he even received his pilot’s license before his driver’s license, according to an obituary. A graduate of Calaveras High class of ‘78, Root played football, then attended and graduated with an Associate of Science in Forestry from Modesto Junior College. Root worked as a timber faller and a cowboy and was a Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputy for ten years, his sister said, until he was forced to medically retire due to injuries sustained on the job.
Root’s life tells a story of overcoming multiple obstacles and medical challenges in order to not only achieve his dreams and goals but also excel. Despite an eye condition barring him from joining the United States Air Force, Root was still able to graduate from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Training Academy. Over the years, Root participated on the Sacramento County Trap Shooting Team and won many medals, according to his sister.
Later, after sustaining life-altering injuries while on the job, he found a new love and sense of purpose in the world of giant pumpkin growing.
“He was endlessly curious and had a wealth of knowledge on a variety of topics,” Root said of her brother in his obituary. She added that he loved gardening and specifically focused on tomatoes and giant pumpkins.
In 2010, he won the Half Moon Bay World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off with a 1,535-pound pumpkin. In 2023, Root and his growing partner Nick Kennedy set a new California state record for the largest pumpkin, growing a pumpkin that weighed 2,497 pounds. The pumpkin took home second place at the World Championship.
See the video here: CHWD releases new video highlighting record-breaking local pumpkin – Citrus Heights Sentinel
Root said she has also helped her brother grow pumpkins for years. Kennedy has since moved on and now gardens with his wife.
In 2024, though the Roots aspired to grow another gigantic pumpkin that would again break records, a mosaic virus devastated their entire garden.
Mosaic viruses affect more than 150 types of plants, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Some of the most commonly infected plants include tomatoes, squashes, cauliflower, and cucumbers, but many more are susceptible. Root said the virus significantly stunted pumpkin growth.
For the 2025 growing season, Root said the gardening team, which included Root and another gardener who also grows produce on the old pumpkin farm along with them, had to start over, move the entire pumpkin patch to a new location in the farm, and sanitize all tools used last year with bleach before using them again this year to prevent the mosaic virus from returning.
Fortunately, the hard work and precautions seem to have succeeded, and Root said she has 4 decent-sized pumpkins she’ll be entering into contests this fall.
“He loved nothing more than to spend time outside among the trees and beside a lake with his dog, his family, and friends,” Root said of her brother, noting that he owned his own home for 30 years and purposefully purchased a big enough home so his mom could move in when the time came for her to do so.
Ron Root is survived by his only sister, Karen Root; brother, Roger Root; and nieces and nephews, Kristen, Kelsey, and Kristopher Root.
