Nadja Marie Stanchfield

Nadiejda "Nadja" Marie Stanchfield, of Santa Cruz, CA passed away peacefully in her home on March 19, 2016. She was 81 years old. Nadja was born on January 18, 1935 in New York City, NY to Paul and Alice "Nona" Wrangell. Though the family moved to California when she was an infant, she remained proud of her New York origins as well as her parents international cultural heritage. Nadja, her parents, and two siblings eventually settled in the Santa Monica Canyon, where the family enjoyed an international community of avant-garde artists, intellectuals, and film industry personalities. It was during this time that she developed an appreciation for her Russian heritage, the game of chess, thoughtful conversation, and an enduring love of the ocean. Nadja moved to Santa Cruz in 1964 with her five children. As a single mother she put herself through school with the assistance of LBJ's War on Poverty programs and went on to pioneer local early childhood education. She was a much loved and respected teacher, first at Head Start and then the Westside Parent Education Nursery School. Upon her retirement many of her former students gathered to recall Nadja's lively "circle time" activities, and an imagination that infused her classroom each day. She surrounded herself with nurturing and creative kindred-spirits with whom she found a great sense of community and deep friendship. She was a passionate artist and a fruitful gardener. When not caring for her much adored chickens (aka "the ladies"), she could usually be found in her art yurt working on mosaic pieces for her annual Garden Art Shows or teaching Pique Assiette mosaic classes. However, Nadja's most treasured creations and greatest lifeworks were her beloved children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren to whom she was a source of love, light, and inspiration. Nadja is remembered as a radiant, hopeful, kind and quirky soul by the love of her life and partner Ginger Hedrick, her devoted children, Linda Phillips and husband Randy, Michael Croghan and wife Lilia, Nona Morgan, Marcia Gregg and husband Hugh, Robert Stanchfield, brother Paul Wrangell and wife Susanna, as well as her adoring 12 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and extended family and friends from every walk of life. All would agree, Nadja was simply magical and shared her light with so many lives. At the end of Nadja's life Hospice of Santa Cruz was a blessing to her and her caregivers. A memorial service is scheduled for April 2, 2016 at 1 p.m. at Holy Cross Church, with a celebration of life to follow in the Holy Cross Parish Hall. In lieu of flowers contributions can be sent in Nadja's name to Hospice of Santa Cruz, the Human Rights Campaign or the ACLU.