Jean Elsa Sloss
February 26, 1926 - December 1, 2023
With family at her bedside, Jean Elsa (Ganz) Sloss died peacefully on December 1, 2023, at her home in Forestville, Calif., at age 97. She was born in 1926, in San Francisco to Fred and Elsa (Meier) Ganz, both descendants of Jewish pioneer families.
Raised in San Francisco, Jean attended Burke’s School, spent summers at her grandparents’ retreat, Menucha, alongside the Columbia River Gorge and later graduated from Ben- nington College in Vermont. She met her lifelong partner, Louis Sloss Jr., at a dance party in San Francisco. They married a year later and raised five children, starting out in Portland, Ore., then moving back to Palo Alto and eventually Portola Valley, Calif.
A loving mother, Jean was also a talented homemaker, flower arranger, a black-belt shopper, and a gourmet chef and hostess. Her compassionate nature and dedication to helping others touched the lives of many. With Louis and friends, she was active in the human potential movement and a lay-counseling center. Separately, Jean led Parent Effectiveness Trainings, assisting many families with the challenges of raising children.
She and Louis enjoyed extensive travel during their 70 years together, strongly favoring Paris and the French countryside. Jean could feel at home in both a Michelin-star restaurant and a tent pitched in the Sierra wilderness or Alaska. She loved gardening and going on wildflower hikes at Lake Tahoe and elsewhere.
Jean grew up playing the piano and adored attending the Symphony and Opera. She was an accomplished tennis and pickleball player into her 90s and enjoyed watching the major competitions, especially if Roger Federer was involved.
In the early 1970s, with five other families, Jean and Louis started Thomas Creek Ranch, an intentional community in Sonoma County, where they shared common facilities and values, and lived out the rest of their lives. Along with others, they founded the first hospice in Sonoma County in the 1980s and thereafter, Jean volunteered at Memorial Hospital serving the terminally ill and their families.
Jean is survived by her daughters, Karen Sloss and Elizabeth Sloss (Dahveed Rubin); and her sons, Louis Sloss III (Julie), Jeff Sloss (Susan), and Tony Sloss (Debra). She also leaves behind eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Jean was preceded in death by her beloved husband; her parents; and her brother, Fredrick Ganz, Jr.
A celebration of Jean’s life will be held in the Spring in Forestville. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Memorial Hospice of Santa Rosa or a charity of your choosing.