James Anthony Hengehold
November 24, 1944 - November 9, 2017
James Anthony Hengehold, 72, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on November 9, 2017 at his home in Menlo Park after a decades long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Jim was born on November 24, 1944 in San Francisco to Frederick Bien Hengehold and Eleanor Scanlan Hengehold. One of four sons, he attended Saint Thomas Aquinas School in Palo Alto, Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose and Santa Clara University.
On September 6, 1975 he married Alison Slone at Mission Santa Clara. Together they raised two children, Matthew and Ann, in Menlo Park.
After college, Jim followed his father Fred into the family business, Hengehold Trucks in Palo Alto. He was soon joined by his brother, Dave, and the three of them operated the truck rental and sales business together for over 45 years. Eventually, Matt and Annie also joined the company as did Dave’s daughters. The business is still in operation in Palo Alto and will celebrate its 70th anniversary next year. Like his father, Jim never retired and was regularly coming into the office until the time of his death.
Jim, both personally and through the company, was involved in numerous local charities. He, along with Alison, served on the board of the Ecumenical Hunger Program in East Palo for ten years.
A lifelong Bay Area sports fan, Jim was thrilled to see both his Giants and Warriors win championships in recent years. The 49ers, on the other hand, may have hastened his recent decline.
Over the last twentyfive years, Jim lived with the debilitating effects of Parkinson’s disease with dignity and courage. His wife, Alison, tirelessly cared for him over the last several years as his health declined. Through it all, he maintained an upbeat attitude which helped him fight the disease.
Jim will be greatly missed for his sense of humor, his loyalty toward his family, and his generosity toward others. He is preceded in death by his mother, Eleanor, his father, Fred, and brothers, Freddy and Richard. He is survived by his wife, Alison, brother, Dave, children, Matt Hengehold (Christina) and Annie Hengehold (Cesar Ramos), and grandchildren, Alexa, Reed and Josie Hengehold and Slone Ramos.
Services will be held Friday, November 17 at 2:00 pm at Saint Raymond Catholic Church in Menlo Park. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Parkinson’s Institute of Sunnyvale (www.thepi. org) or the Ecumenical Hunger Program of East Palo Alto (www.ehpcares.org).