Paul Ecke Jr.

Paul Ecke Jr. (1925-2002) assumed leadership of the business in 1963. He had a degree in floriculture from Ohio State University and formally shifted the focus of the Ecke Ranch from the field stock plant business to the potted plant business with a greater emphasis on production in greenhouses. Paul Jr. was also instrumental in establishing the poinsettia as the Christmas flower. Every holiday season he would send poinsettias to the White House, in addition to local television stations and national talk shows such as Bob Hope’s Christmas Special, Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show, the Dinah Shore Show, and Good Morning America. He also placed advertisements in leading magazines. 

Paul Ecke Jr. married Elisabeth "Jinx" Joan Kenney in 1953. They first met on a blind date in 1952. Elisabeth is a graduate of San Diego State College with a specialization in speech therapy. Together they had three children - Paul Ecke III (1955-), Lizbeth Ecke (1957-), and Sara Ecke May (1959-). Paul and Elisabeth were subsequently divorced (ca. 1980s-1990s). 

Paul Ecke Jr. married Maureen “Mo” De St. Croix on January 31, 1998.