Obituaries Obituaries (May 04, 2005)

Helen Hansen

Executive director of Catholic Charities

Helen S. Hansen, the founding executive director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of San Jose, died April 24 at age 93. A longtime resident of Menlo Park, she lived at the Forum in Cupertino in recent years.

She was born in Hastings, Nebraska, and graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1934 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She later received a master's degree in social work from the University of Nebraska, where she met her husband, Wilbur W. Hansen.

During the 1940s and 1950s, Ms. Hansen served as director of social services at Mercy Hospital in Chicago. In 1955 she and her husband moved to Menlo Park.

That year Ms. Hansen was hired as the executive director of what was then known as Catholic Social Services, now Catholic Charities of the Diocese of San Jose. In the beginning, the organization consisted of Ms. Hansen, a secretary and a part-time social worker. The budget was $14,000 a year. Today, Catholic Charities serves 50,000 people annually.

Ms. Hansen also served on the County Retardation Commission and as a founding board member of the Legal Aid Society.

After retiring from Catholic Charities in 1983, she continued to serve on many boards and commissions.

She is survived by two sons, Bill Hansen of Dearborn, Michigan, and Judge Tom Hansen of San Jose; six grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Her husband, Dr. Wilbur W. Hansen, died in 1985.

A funeral Mass was held April 29 at Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park, with burial at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Cupertino.

Arrangements were under the direction of Roller Hapgood & Tinney.

The family prefers donations to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of San Jose.

Wayne S. Vucinich

East European scholar

A June 3 memorial service at Stanford University is being planned for Wayne S. Vucinich, a longtime Stanford professor who died April 21 of heart failure at a nursing home in Menlo Park. He was 91.

Born into an immigrant Serbian family in Montana, Mr. Vucinich lost his parents in the influenza epidemic of 1918 and went to live with family in Herzegovina, Stanford officials said.

After years as a shepherd in a mountain village, he returned to the United States at the age of 15 and later attended the University of California at Berkeley. He earned bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in Slavic languages and history between 1936 and 1941.

After graduating, Mr. Vucinich joined the Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency, and later served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve. In 1946, he accepted an offer to teach in Stanford University's history department.

Mr. Vucinich taught Western civilization and Russian and East European history, and was instrumental in founding the Center for Russian and East European Studies, which he directed from 1972 to 1985. He wrote and edited many studies on the region.

Mr. Vucinich's wife of 48 years, Sara "Sally" Vucinich, died in 1990. He is survived by two daughters, Annette Davis of San Francisco and Connie Vucinich Furlong of Bainbridge Island, Washington; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

The family requests that memorial donations be made to Stanford University for the Wayne S. and Sara Stys Vucinich Fund for Slavic Studies. The address is Stanford University, Attention: Gift Processing, 326 Galvez St., Stanford, CA 94305-6105.
Charles Schmidt

Engineer, athlete and scholar

A memorial service will be held at the Woodside Village Church in Woodside at 2 p.m. Friday, May 6, for Charles Edward Schmidt. Mr. Schmidt, a Woodside resident for 35 years, died April 25 at his home. He was 71.

Mr. Schmidt was born in San Francisco and served in the U.S. Army. He received his bachelor's degree and advanced academic degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University. He spent most of his professional life at Lenkurt Electric in San Carlos, where he designed integrated circuits. He retired in 1997.

Mr. Schmidt had many interests and referred to himself as a bon vivant and scholar, say family members. In his younger days he was a skier and won many tennis tournaments, playing with Woodside's SWAT (Somewhat Awful Tennis) group.

He sang with a local men's chorus, The Quackenteers, organized by John Quackenbush. He was a voracious reader and had a passion for learning, continually taking classes, say family members. He also played the piano and composed music.

Mr. Schmidt is survived by his wife of 51 years, Rae Schmidt of Woodside; his children, LeeAnn Sosa of Walnut Creek and Charlie Schmidt of Woodside; a brother, Tom Schmidt of San Diego; and five grandchildren.
William Curtiss Jr.

Former Ridge Vineyards president

William Hanford Curtiss Jr., a resident of Woodside from 1963 to 2000, died April 26 in Carmel. He was 86.

Mr. Curtiss was born in Corning, New York, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Williams College. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Navy as a navigation officer. He went on to his own command of the USS PC 485, assigned to protect convoys in the Aleutian Islands, and later in the South Pacific.

He married Jean McGay, whom he met in 1937 when they were teenage camp counselors, in 1942.

After completing his Navy service with the rank of lieutenant commander, Mr. Curtiss joined Owens Corning Fiberglas in 1946. He served in many executive positions, including vice president and general manager of the Pacific Coast Division, culminating in his appointment as senior vice president of corporate planning, office of the president, Toledo, Ohio. He retired from Owens Corning Fiberglas in 1983 after 37 years of service.

After retiring, Mr. Curtiss served as president of Ridge Vineyards for the next five years.

Throughout his life, Mr. Curtiss maintained a close association with his alma mater, Williams College, and served as president of its board of trustees. During his 60th reunion in 2000, he received the Joseph's Coat Award, presented to a member of the old guard classes (post 50th classes) who is held in high esteem by the college and fellow alumni, say family members.

Mr. Curtiss served on the board of directors of the California Academy of Sciences, the board of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and the board of governors of Filoli. He was also a past chairman of the Lincoln Club of Northern California.

He was a member of the Menlo Country Club, the Cypress Point Club, John Gardiner's Tennis Resort, and a former member of the Pacific Union Club.

He is survived by his wife, Jean; two sons, Alan Curtiss of Manhattan Beach and William "Tony" Curtiss of Ross; sister Ruth Leggat of Westford, Massachusetts; two grandchildren; and two nephews.

According to his wishes, no services are planned. Memorials in his name may be made to Williams College, 75 Park St., Williamstown, MA 01267; Family Service Agency of San Mateo County, 24 Second Ave., San Mateo, CA 94401; or a favorite charity.

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