Obituaries

Hans Roenau, Dipsea Veteran and Prolific Photographer, Dies at 84

A native of Vienna, Austria, Roenau seemed to always exhibit a sunny disposition and an easy charm, friends say.

By Jim Welte

Greenbrae photographer Hans Roenau, a veteran of the Dipsea and Double Dipsea races, died Sunday at his home after a lengthy illness. He was 84.

Roenau was a longtime presence on the Marin distance running scene, having competed in 33 Dipsea Races, 24 Double Dipseas, and 1 Quadruple Dipsea. He finished sixth in the Dipsea Race in 1978.

"We are saddened to hear the news about Hans," said Edda Stickle, longtime Dipsea Race director. "He was a character and a fixture in the Dipsea Race as a competitor and later as a photographer. He loved the race. He will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

After he stopped competing in Dipsea events, Roenau became a prolific photographer, particularly later in life. He shot photos for a number of Bay Area publications, including the Patch sites and Marinscope Newspapers. But he was perhaps best known, at least among his small but loyal following, for his daily e-mail, which spanned from his childhood and his vast travels around the world to his daily journeys in the Bay Area, particularly at the Las Gallinas Salt Ponds.

Roenau also developed a loyal following through his "Hans' Daily Photo" blog on the Patch sites.

Roenau became the subject of a short documentary in 2012 after becoming friends with filmmaker Harris Cohen via the same way he meets most everyone in recent years: his photography. 

When he was 10 years old in 1938, Roenau and his family fled their native Vienna, Austria when the Nazis invaded. They sought refuge in Shanghai, China only to face another invasion by the Japanese. As Cohen put it, despite the incredible disruption of his childhood, Roenau grew up with a sunny disposition and an easy charm.

"We are planning to have a celebration of life towards the end of July," Roenau's family members wrote in an email to friends. "We will send out a notification when the time and place have been determined."

For a short selection of Hans Roenau's recent photos, check out his Patch blog and his own website.



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