Stephanie Chase MacColl

June 22, 1934 – February 23, 2017

Stephanie Chase MacColl passed away quietly, surrounded by her husband William MacColl and her two children Lauren Maass and Ian MacColl.

Stephanie was born in San Jose in 1934 to H. Stephen and Mary Bonar Chase. Her parents and sister Judith moved to Sacramento in 1939 where she entered the California public education system, eventually graduating from Sacramento High School. In addition to accomplishments in student government, she learned to play the accordion (although not particularly well by her own admission). From 1952 - 1956 she followed in her father’s footsteps and attended Stanford University. After graduation, she was employed by Thomas Cook and Son, a travel agency. She always said that she took the job because it enabled her to ski every weekend during winter. As it turned out, she met her husband William, a recently retired naval flight officer, through mutual friends who also skied.

Stephanie and William were married in 1958 at The Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin in San Francisco. Several years after her two children were born, Stephanie started a long and distinguished career in community service. Organizations on whose boards she served included the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the SPCA, Children’s Hospital (now the California Pacific Medical Center), the San Francisco Foundation, the Bothin Foundation, the San Francisco Community Foundation, San Francisco University High School, the Golden Gate Park Concourse Authority, and the Junior League of San Francisco.

When Stephanie turned 40, she discovered a love of hiking in the mountains. This passion took her to Sikkim with friends and the 18,500’ summit of Mt. Kanchenjunga in India, Lang Tang in Nepal with her two children, and the kingdom of Mustang in Nepal to name a few. She treasured her “hiking group” of ten women and their spouses with annual trips to Yosemite and other destinations in California. Her spirit of adventure took her and William on numerous adventures including the Sahara Desert, Alaska, Idaho, and even a motorcycle trip to Sturgis, South Dakota, for a Harley-Davidson gathering.

Stephanie is survived by her husband William, sister Judith Chase Cooley, daughter Lauren MacColl Maass and her husband Peter, son Ian Coats MacColl and his wife Dharma, and her four grandchildren Emma, August, Julian, and Lila. While she will be terribly missed, we all are thankful to have experienced her exceptional spirit and optimism. A private memorial service will be held for close friends and family. Stephanie has asked that any contributions be made to the California Pacific Medical Center Foundation (cpmc.org/giving).