Wendi Hammond Haskell
Nov. 25, 1941-June 10, 2017
Portola Valley, California

Wendi Hammond Haskell passed away quietly on June 10, 2017, at her home in Portola Valley surrounded by family members.

Wendi had a compassionate, vibrant and eternally young soul and was quick to share a smile, a laugh, support and encouragement. She was one of pure generosity - never giving in order to get anything in return except the knowledge that she had helped others.

As a devoted lover of the outdoors, Wendi was eager to protect not only nature but every being, whether human, animal or plant, that shared this earth with us. Wendi was at her happiest when skiing, hiking, playing tennis with her family and friends, traveling to remote locations with her husband Bill and spending time with her grandchildren.

Wendi was born in Hollywood, California, on November 25, 1941 to Winnie and Alex Hammond, who were singers working in the movies. She had four brothers and is survived by a brother, Gary Hammond and wife Anne, who live in Bozeman, Montana.

When she was age 3, Wendi’s family moved to Coachella Valley and then to Palm Springs. Wendi attended elementary and secondary school in Palm Springs and graduated from Palm Springs High School in 1959.

She became an excellent high school and college tennis player and continued to play high-level club tennis, winning many championships into her late 60s.

Wendi graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara with a BA degree in Education in 1963. Following graduation, she married Bill Haskell and moved to Champaign, Illinois, and then Northern Virginia, where she taught high school health and physical education and coached various girls sports. Soon after the Haskells moved to Portola Valley in 1970, Wendi taught school in Portola Valley and adjacent school districts until 2012. She especially enjoyed teaching physical education and sports to younger children and helping girls develop their self-confidence through learning sport skills. Wendi was the consummate volunteer committed to improving the education of all children, helping people in need and saving the environment.

She was a member of the Portola Valley school board for eight years, served on a variety of school and PTA committees, and was an active member of The Friends of the Library of Portola Valley and the Portola Valley Parks and Recreation Committee.

In the early 1980s, when few organized sports programs were available for elementary school children in Portola Valley, Wendi developed and ran an innovative indoor soccer program for over 20 years. She delighted at being called "coach" by many kids when they saw her around the Valley. She created and taught a synchronized swimming program for young girls for 10 years, and coached both co-ed “T” ball and “pee-wee” soccer teams.

In the early 1980s, Wendi arranged for the first recycling program in Portola Valley, with the income from this program going directly to school sports programs. In more recent years she thrived when assisting in organizing community events like the run “Zots to Tots.”

One of Wendi’s greatest achievements was the compassionate and effective care she provided her severely disabled daughter, Heidi, for more than 40 years. At a time when few services were available for the care of infants with major brain injury, Wendi was relentless in working closely with caregivers and educators to ensure Heidi would develop mentally, physically and socially to her full potential.

Wendi and Bill have 4 children: Christopher, Heidi, Kimberly and Merrily. Christopher and wife Lisa live in Orinda and have 2 children (Clayton and Cassidy) Heidi lives in San Mateo, Kimberly lives in Granite Bay with husband Gerald Newlin and 2 children (Lucy and Molly) and Merrily lives in Portola Valley.

Tags: teacher/educator, public service