Stina Hans

She said she wanted a short obituary. But anyone who knew Stina Hans would recognize that’s impossible. Gregarious, kind, generous, organized, loyal – there aren’t enough adjectives to describe Stina and the impact she’s had on so many lives.

Stina Hans, 76, died peacefully at home in Santa Barbara on February 26 surrounded by her loving family. Born August 6,1948 in Wareham, Massachusetts, the daughter of George and Suzanne DeVillafranca, Stina grew up in Northhampton and Woods Hole, MA.

Stina was a very accomplished woman. She put herself through college, earning a BA from the University of Massachusetts and an MS from California Lutheran University. In between those degrees, Stina co-founded a software company that developed the first commercially licensed packaged software for minicomputers. With unflagging energy, she became president of the company, buying out her partners the same year her first son was born.

Stina was on the International Boards of the Young President’s Organization and the World President’s Organization and the first woman to receive the Weaver Award as a Leader among Leaders. Her love of education and her recognition of its importance are why she went back to school to earn a Masters in Counseling. For 10 years, she read college applications at UCLA and mentored potential students.

A resident of Santa Barbara for 40 years, Stina brought her leadership skills and experience to many community organizations. She constantly gave of her “time, talent and treasure” – most notably to the board of Girls Inc of Santa Barbara and for 20 years in many leadership positions at the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara. She never walked away from a volunteer job without finding her replacement – often needing a team to sustain the work. And when she wasn’t volunteering, she was at a bridge table or on the golf course. She loved the many friends she made at La Cumbre Country Club where her family was a member for 40 years.

Yes, Stina was a very accomplished woman. But she said her greatest accomplishment and her greatest joy was her family. Married for 46 years to Joel Kreiner, she was thrilled to see their three children grown with strong core values and with loving families of their own. She was a dedicated mother and – since 2018 – a loving “Ina” to six grandchildren.

Stina touched hundreds of lives in so many ways. People relied on her, came to her for advice, learned by her example. She was an organized planner and consummate host, graciously opening her home often for charity events and gatherings of family and friends. She always had a dozen balls in the air and juggled them effortlessly. She epitomized the Girls Inc motto: strong, smart and bold. But mostly, she was loving… and very much loved.

Stina is survived by her husband Joel Kreiner, son Brian Kreiner, his wife Hanna, and their daughters Sophie and Stella in Seattle; son Steven Kreiner, his wife Carolyn, and their daughter Moxie and son Wolf in Santa Barbara; daughter Elizabeth Kreiner Grace, her husband Cameron, and their daughters Riley and Charlie in San Francisco; sister Chita Edlund in Pittsfield, MA and brother Chip de Villafranca in Haverhill, MA.

Donations in Stina’s memory can be made to:
Girls Inc of Santa Barbara http://www.girlsincsb.org/
Santa Barbara Police Activities League https://www.sbpal.org/
Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara Endowment Fund https://womensfundsb.org/make-donation