Crofoot, Imogene (Gene) Stiles

Imogene (Gene) Stiles Crofoot - age: 98
(July 14, 1914 to May 22, 2013 )
Resident of Ukiah, California

Obituary:
Imogene (Gene) Stiles Crofoot, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and
great-grandmother, passed away on May 22, 2013. She was the proud wife of her husband, John, a great mother to her children, Thomas Crofoot, Peter Crofoot, Michael Crofoot and Susan Johnson, and wonderful to her eight grandchildren and 13
great-grandchildren.

Gene was born July 14, 1914, in Barcelona, Spain, where her father was an engineer working on a power project. When she was 2 ½ years old the family left Spain for the United States due to the start of World War I. She stayed in San Francisco for six months waiting for a ship to Peru, where her father was then employed. When a cargo ship became available she and her mother booked passage and traveled south to La Oroya, Peru, where her father was working for the Cerro de Pasco Corporation copper mine.

While in Peru, nuns started the Villa Maria Convent in Lima, and Gene attended school there until her graduation at age 16. She and her family then returned to the U.S. and she studied at the University of Arizona for two years. Upon leaving the University of Arizona, she attended Stanford University and was a member of the second class in which women were accepted.

Gene graduated from Stanford in 1935 and accepted a social worker position in Redding, California. There she met and fell in love with John Crofoot, who had been working a gold mine that had recently shut down due to the economy. Thereafter, Gene was recruited for a translator job at a San Francisco investment company and was hired to translate English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.

In 1936 Gene and John Crofoot married and moved to Igo, California, where John worked for a gold company. They had two sons while living in Igo, and moved to Vallejo, California at the outset of World War II. John worked for the Public Works Department at Mare Island and their family grew by another son and a daughter.

In 1954 the family moved to Ukiah, where John was a partner with his father and brother in the Crofoot Lumber Company, a mill located at the Forks in Ukiah, and a sulfur and cinnabar mine in Lovelock, Nevada. Gene maintained the family home in Ukiah and commuted back and forth to Lovelock during this time.

In Ukiah she had many long time friends with whom she enjoyed playing bridge, golf and socializing. The Crofoot house was always busy with their children and their children’s many friends. Gene loved to entertain and nobody would know how many would be at the dinner table or the many impromptu open houses. John often accused her of going grocery shopping and inviting everyone in Safeway to the house.

Later in life she and John enjoyed their cabin in Reeves Canyon, and they spent many winters camping in their RV at Guymas and Mazatlan, Mexico. They also lived in the Fiji Islands for six months waiting for the birth of their grandson, Tiko. During these times they enjoyed their family and made many lasting friends.

At Gene’s request no services will be held. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Ukiah and St. Mary’s Foundation.