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1927 Van Allen 2022

Van Allen Coolidge Kreis

December 7, 1927 — March 22, 2022

Van Allen Coolidge Kreis

Van Allen Coolidge Kreis passed away peacefully, age 94, on March 22, 2022 at Sutter General Hospital with family by his side.

Van was born in San Mateo, California to Dorothea (nee Beeby) and Charles Coolidge Kreis on December 7, 1927. Dorothea was from Chicago and Coolidge was from Detroit. His parents came to San Francisco when they married and settled in Burlingame.

Van had a younger sister, Josephine (deceased). The family lived in the same house in Burlingame his entire childhood but spent summers at the rustic family cabin at Woods Lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Van was a good student and elected Student Body President of Burlingame High School. Upon graduation, he did an accelerated undergraduate degree in Physics at University of California, Berkeley, and then went straight to UCSF Medical School.

His dorm at medical school was across from the nurses’ dorm and he met the love of his life, student nurse, Joyce “Bo” Boughner, playing touch football in the street. They married in the summer of 1952 while they were still students. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary last July.

Their first child, Paul Kreis, was born in 1953, and Ann joined the family in 1955.

When Van completed his radiology residency, he joined the USAF as a captain. The family of four spent two years with the military in Europe in the late 50s.

Upon return to the United States, his son Donald was born in San Jose in 1959. The family moved to Sacramento in 1960 so that Van could join a radiology practice associated with Sutter Hospital. Van stayed with the group through its merger with Radiological Associates. He retired in 1989.

Van was always fascinated with technology and engineering and built his first computer from scratch. He read non-fiction extensively. He piloted his own light aircraft and joined the Sacramento Sheriff’s Air Squadron.

He is remembered for his daily morning run which he began in the 60’s before there were even running shoes on the market and was an inspiration to his family, friends, and neighbors. One of the reasons Van retired a few years early was to have time to spend 6-8 weeks every winter to ski in Aspen. He was a fixture at the Holland House there and made lifelong ski buddies.

Despite his love of skiing, Van also loved tropical weather. He and Bo would spend 6 weeks a year in Hawaii where he relished the warm breezes of Maui.

Van had eight grandchildren and was involved in the lives of every single one. He lived to see all eight graduate from college. He has six great-grandchildren.

Van is survived by:

His wife, Joyce “Bo” Kreis

His son Paul and daughter-in-law Terrie (nee Smith) Kreis:

Granddaughter Lauren (nee Kreis) & husband Chris Keach, great-granddaughter Raegan Keach

Granddaughter Rachel Kreis

His daughter Ann Kreis and son-in-law Juan Carlos Torres:

Granddaughter Elena Torres & husband Josh Posnick, great-granddaughter Sonia Posnick

Granddaughter Emma Torres & husband Jack Butcher

Granddaughter Paloma Torres & husband Ross Wilson, great-grandson Fergus Wilson

His son Don and daughter-in-law Rebecca “Becky” (nee Childs) Kreis:

Granddaughter Nicole (nee Kreis) & husband Grant Kendall

Granddaughter Bridget (nee Kreis) & husband Caleb Johnson, great-grandchildren Remington, Wesley, & Annie

Grandson Steele Kreis

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