Rolf Baade Hofstad

July 15, 1935 – January 30, 2018

Rolf died peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday, January 30 after a long struggle with Parkinson’s Disease. He is survived by his wife, Mary, of 31 years and by his son, Erik, and two daughters, Kari (Michael) and Turi (David), and two step daughters, Sherri (Rory) and Shelley (Frank). He is also survived by 8 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Minnie, but predeceased by his brother, Bjorn, and sister, Liv.

Rolf was born and raised in Raufoss, Norway. He served in the Norwegian military for two years and then studied electrical engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology, in Chicago, graduating in 1961. He loved to hike, cross country ski, play soccer and tennis.

After accepting his first job in Silicon Valley and falling in love with California’s winter weather, Rolf wrote his mother back in Norway, “I am 99.9% sure that I will not be coming back home to live.” As an adopted Californian, Norway was never far from his heart and mind. He traveled there whenever he could and he was a 50 year member of the Sons of Norway. After working in engineering for 25 years, he then switched career fields and worked in finance, getting a broker’s license for real estate, securities, and insurance. He retired from work in 2008.

Rolf loved living in the Californian sunshine. He spent a lot of time at the shores of Santa Cruz, Capitola and Monterrey. In 1986, Rolf married Mary and together they spent 31 happy years together. They entered many 5K and 10K races throughout the years, such as the Warf to Warf and the Bridge to Bridge. They enjoyed travel, especially throughout Europe.

Rolf was a strong person, especially in his 25 year fight with Parkinson’s. He never complained and had a wonderful attitude. His friends would say that he was always kind and considerate of others.