Hans-Joachim Kurt Hildebrandt

Hans-Joachim Kurt Hildebrandt was born on January 22, 1937, in Korritowo, West Prussia, Germany, to Kurt Arthur and Gertrud Hildebrandt. As a young child, he and his family endured years of hardship and uncertainty. They fled as refugees from advancing Russian forces at the end of World War II and struggled to rebuild their lives in post-war northern Germany. In 1951, the family emigrated to Canada and settled in the lumber and farming community of Vernon, British Columbia. There, they took whatever work was available—planting and harvesting fields and orchards. As a teenager, Hans worked as a construction day laborer, spent a summer in a lumber camp clearing felled logs, and even lived far from home in the Canadian north, laying railroad track.

He later moved to Vancouver to attend the University of British Columbia, where he studied chemistry. It was there that he met the love of his life, Gerda Kraemer. He left his studies to follow Gerda and her family to San Francisco, where the young couple soon married. In 1961, they moved to Merced, California, where Hans worked as a clinical laboratory technologist for the next 37 years. He completed his bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1971 and became a naturalized American citizen in 1976.

Hans and Gerda raised three children: Carmen, Hans, and Kurt. He was a steadfast patriarch—loving, caring, guiding, and always providing for his family.

In his younger years, Hans enjoyed playing soccer, the violin, and singing in ensembles. Later in life, he found great joy in camping and hiking in Yosemite National Park. A man of deep faith, he led his family in nightly devotions and prayers.

Hans was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 61 years, Gerda, in 2022.

He is survived by his daughter Carmen Chow and her sons Curtis Chow and Jonathan Chow (and Jonathan’s wife Morgan); his son Hans Hildebrandt and wife Lisa, and their children Hans (and wife Tori), Eric (and wife Mariah), and Andrew Hildebrandt; and his son Kurt Hildebrandt and wife Lynn, and their children Kiani and Kurt. He is also survived by great-granddaughter Callen Hildebrandt and great-grandson Arthur Hildebrandt, as well as his sister Hannelore and husband Kurt Duering, and brother Reinhard Hildebrandt.

“Ruhe in Frieden. Rest in Peace.”

Funeral Service will be held on Friday, May 15, 2026 at 10:00 am, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 785 N. Fowler Ave, Clovis. CA 93611.