Hans J. Wuesthoff

Hans Joachim Wuesthoff was born in the village of Wermelskirchen, located north of Cologne, Germany, in the Rhineland Westfalen area to Peter Edmund, a watchmaker, and his wife Herta. He was the youngest of five children. Preceding him in death were his parents, sister Hilde, brother Fritz, brother Kurt, and brother Hans-Georg. His mother died when Hans was at a young age and his older sister, Hilde, became an important figure in his young life. As a boy, he would accompany his father to the village church to wind the tower clock that his grandfather had made and installed. In his teen years, he was apprenticed to a local baker, where he learned the art of bread and pastry making. At 18 years of age, he was pressed into service in the German Navy. After a brief stint in a French POW camp at the end of the war, he was returned home where he sought employment to further his training as a chef. He worked in several major hotel kitchens, preparing cuts of meat for a variety of dishes. Having completed his training in 1956, he received certification as chef. He found employment at a Resort Hotel in Essen Germany, where he met his first wife Hildegard Erna, who was in service at the same hotel. They were married in September of 1958. His sister Hilde had emigrated to the United States with her husband around that time. Upon learning that his sister was diagnosed with stomach cancer, Hans and his wife emigrated to the United States in the spring of 1960. They booked passage on a steamship, arriving in New York speaking no English. They boarded a bus for the cross country trip to Colorado, where they joined his sister and her husband. He found several odd jobs before joining the cooking staff at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, working there for three years. Hearing about an opportunity to work in the Airline industry, he traveled to Los Angeles with his wife. Continental Airlines hired him as a chef in 1963 where he prepared meals for passengers in first class, as well as becoming personal chef to the president of the company. While living in Los Angeles, he made several lifelong friends to include Fred Bauernschmitt, wife Susan and family. He and his wife Hilde became God-Parents to the Bauernschmitt girls Krista and Erika. Dachshunds played a significant role in both the lives of Hans and his friend Fred. Hans treasured his dachshund companions Barnaby and Susie. The two families and their dogs took many car trips across the country in the Wuesthoff Plymouth Fury. They also traveled often to visit relatives in Germany and took frequent vacation trips to Hawaii, visiting Continental employee friends residing there. Hans attended high school classes to better his English speaking skills in Los Angeles. He proudly became a naturalized citizen of these United States March 4, 1967. Hans’ career with Continental was sharply curtailed after he suffered a heart attack in 1977. He retired soon after and returned to Colorado, upon learning his Sister’s cancer had progressed. He and his wife took up residence in Glenwood Springs after the death of his sister, followed by the death of his brother-in-law. He purchased a small home in New Castle, Colorado several miles from Glenwood Springs in 1989. They remained active in the local Glenwood Springs Episcopal Church. He maintained a small field in the open space behind his home, where children in the neighborhood could play various field sports. Their home remained open to friends, including several chefs and cooks who were also natives of Germany and were now citizens of the United States. Hans continued to bake various breads and confections to share with neighbors and friends. His wife suffered a stroke in 2000, resulting in partial paralysis. He remained as her primary care giver until her death from complications in 2010. He remarried 2011 and is survived by his present wife, Shirley Wuesthoff residing in Tucson, Arizona. He is survived by a nephew and niece, Hans and Elisabeth Schnitzlein living in Herrenberg, Germany and step children Richard, Alan, Sonny, Rebecca, and Sharon.