Resident Feature

Meet the Mettlers

Making Northgate a better place

Geoff and Faye Mettler share a deep love for their neighborhood and the Northgate community. This love is demonstrated by their extensive volunteerism and connections they’ve made over the years.

Anyone who is a fan of Northgate High School sports or the Rancho San Miguel Swim Team (RSM) is sure to recognize Geoff’s voice. He has been the announcer for RSM for 15 years, continuing even after his kids grew up and left home. He is also the voice for the Walnut Creek All-City Swim Meet and Northgate football and wrestling. Geoff, who is an independent financial advisor and a plan fiduciary for corporate retirement plans, also has served on the board at RSM and coached youth baseball, basketball, soccer and wrestling. Faye, who has her Master’s in Clinical Psychology and is the Program Director for the nonprofit ARM of Care, has served on countless committees and boards including RSM, RSMA, Walnut Acres PFA, Foothill PFC, and Northgate PFC and Athletic Boosters. She is currently serving on the committee for Walnut Creek’s Community Service Day, which is held in October each year and encourages all city residents to volunteer for a day. As Faye says, “A sense of community starts with involvement; so get involved! Volunteer participation creates tremendous bonding and friendship with others, providing a great rewarding sense of being part of a neighborhood network.”

They have passed this mission on to their two children as well. Kassi, now 24, and Gage, now 20, both served in leadership roles at Northgate High School, coached for RSM swim team and were actively involved in sports throughout their school years. Kassi grew up babysitting many neighborhood kids and participated in Northgate’s Water Polo, Track and Swim teams. She attended Colgate University, graduating with a double major in International Relations and Spanish. She lives in New York City, working as a corporate legal assistant for Revlon Inc. and currently applying for law school.

Gage also participated in many of the activities offered in the Northgate community from chess club to soccer, to tarantula spotting on Mt. Diablo. His athletic focus at Northgate High School was wrestling and football but also participated in swimming and track. Gage was captain of the wrestling team for three years. He currently attends San Francisco State University and wrestles for the school.

Geoff and Faye met in Hawaii. Faye, who is from Alberta Canada, was on a vacation visiting a friend in Hawaii, and Geoff was stationed at Hickam Air Force Base. After a two-year long-distance relationship, they married in 1991 continuing to live in Hawaii until Geoff was honorably discharged from the Air Force. In 1998 they purchased their first home in the Rancho San Miguel neighborhood.

Growing up, Kassi and Gage spent many hours at Heather Farm Park, time at Rancho San Miguel Swim Club, and cherish fond memories of playing late night games of kick the can or four-square tournaments with other kids in the neighborhood. Though no longer building a haunted house in their own front yard, the enthusiasm of Halloween activities in the neighborhood continues today. And what do you do with a frozen t-shirt, easily answered by the Mettler family as they have been regular participants of the neighborhood Labor Day block party, now sponsored by RSMA. Geoff is a long-time participant in Sunday night softball at Heather Farms (go Polar Bears!). And Faye is a frequent patron of the many canal and hiking trails. “There is never a shortage of things to do, and the people who choose to live in this neighborhood all seem to share that same appreciation,” says Faye, to which Gage quickly added humorously, “The good thing growing up is that everyone knows you; the bad thing as you get older is that everyone knows you.” 

Faye shares, “For a city of 71,000, it still feels like a very tight community.” And for many who share their talents and passions, like the Mettlers do, this community is not only tight knit, but a place where friendships are made through volunteering and life-long bonds become one of things we cherish most. 

Recently Geoff and Faye took an early evening walk with their 13-year-old Golden Retriever Nix. The sound of whistles from El Divisidero Park and the energy of enthusiastic swimmers leaving a RSM swim clinic warmed their hearts. Not only did it remind them of their own children but offered a sense of neighborhood pride. These are the welcome sounds of a neighborhood healing from a difficult two years of pandemic restrictions so, as those restrictions are lifted, get out and enjoy the sounds of a healthy and vibrant Northgate community.


Do you know a neighbor who has a story to share? Nominate your neighbor to be featured in one of our upcoming issues! Contact us at knavolio@bestversionmedia.com. 

By Kara Navolio, Resident since 1991