Obituary of Stanley Valentine Hajduk

Stanley Valentine Hajduk Jr, MD, born July 11, 1942 in San Francisco, CA, died at home in La Selva Beach, CA, surrounded by family and dear friends, Tuesday, October 11, 2016. Stanley graduated from the University of Southern California Medical School. He was drafted into the US Army during the Vietnam War and filed as a Conscientious Objector. He later worked in general practice in Watsonville, CA, and then as an emergency room doctor at Watsonville Community Hospital, where he also served as Chief of Staff three times. Stanley was co-founder of the first fully board-certified emergency specialty group in the Monterey Bay Area. He also served as a Physician for the CA Maritime Academy aboard the T.S. Golden Bear every year for 25 years. Stanley was a 25 year member of the Rotary Club of Capitola-Aptos, and a long-time member of the Tullamore Dew Running Club and the Cabrillo Court House. He served on the board of the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee (BAYMEC) and the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust. Stanley was the recipient of the 2015 Phil Rather Award for Leadership in Healthcare. He was an accomplished runner, completing many marathons and ultra-marathons, including the Maui Marathon six months after heart surgery. Stanley also played hand ball, squash, and golf. He was part of the Clown Brigade and a master at creating balloon animals, delighting his granddaughter and others with his antics. He was a juggler, a painter, a woodworker, and a lover of poetry. He was a long-time practitioner of Tai Ji and a frequent visitor to Esalen. Stanley married Janette H. Kolar at a snowy resort in northern MN in 2009 after a romantic proposal in Paris. Stanley had a big personality and could be comical and the life of the party, but had a deep sense of honor, seriousness, and professionalism. Stanley's sense of purpose was to engage people and encourage and allow them to be all that they could be. He championed people who didn't have a voice by helping them access healthcare, education, and a place to sleep. Stanley was preceded in death by his mother, Lorraine, and his father, Stanley Valentine Sr. He is survived by his wife, Janette; his sons Jason (Missy) and Jared (Hillary); granddaughter, Grace; brothers, Michael (Nancy), Steven (Sue Ellen), and Mark, and sister, Debbie (Debbie). A celebration of Stanley's life will be held at the Watsonville Buddhist Temple (423 Bridge Street, Watsonville Ca) on Friday December 2nd 2016 at 1:00 pm. Memorial contributions in Stan's honor may be given to the Wiggsy Sivertsen Scholarship Fund at San Jose State University or the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust.