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In Memoriam
Janet Rindfleisch May 1, 1942 – March 8, 2025 Santa Clara Janet Ellen Rindfleisch left this life on March 8, 2025, surrounded by loving family, after fighting cancer for several years. Born May 1, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois, Janet was the second of three children of Frank Herbenar and Helen Herbenar, née Myrda. She is survived by sister Laurel Bossen, brother James Herbenar (wife Maryann), son Timothy Rindfleisch, daughter Kristin Eukel (husband Derek), son Gregory Rindfleisch (wife Rosa), granddaughter Katherine Thorrez (husband Kegan), grandsons John Paul Rindfleisch (wife Cristina) and Jonathan Panisa, and great-grandsons Theodore Thorrez and Sebastian Rindfleisch. Janet grew up in Wilmette, Illinois and attended New Trier Township High School. In 1962, she received her BS in Physics in three years from Purdue University. From 1960 to 1984, she was married to fellow Purdue physics major, Thomas Rindfleisch. Following graduation, the couple moved to Altadena, California, where they lived until 1971 as their family grew to include three children. Janet worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory during the early days of the US space program on a project to study solar wind dynamics. She found it exciting to start with a physics or math problem and a blank sheet of paper and then fill it with calculations to create a solution. Over time, however, she craved a level of interaction with other people that was missing from her office job, and she left JPL to volunteer at the Huntington Memorial Hospital in San Marino. In 1971 the family moved to the San Francisco Bay area, where Janet turned her attention to art by enrolling in courses at Foothill – DeAnza Community College. She experienced a similar sense of excitement of starting with an idea and a blank sheet of paper and then filling it with lines, shapes, and colors to create a visual image. Over time, she discovered that the arts allowed her to combine all her creative efforts: The analytical aspects of her physics background influenced her drawing, painting, and sculpture as she expressed themes based on the feelings of interpersonal connection that she had experienced in her hospital work. In due course, she earned her MFA in painting from San Jose State University. In her professional life, Janet was an artist, educator, curator, and author. From 1978 to 1985 she was an instructor of art and art history at De Anza College. From 1979 to 2011 she was Executive Director of the Euphrat Museum of Art, where she laid the groundwork for an engaged and inclusive museum environment by continuously tapping the diverse local voices of Silicon Valley. In 1985–86, she collaborated with Euphrat Board members to establish the Cupertino Arts Commission. Her civic involvement included serving as a member of the Santa Clara County Arts Council (1989–1997), the California Arts Council Visual Arts Panel (1990), the Arts Council Silicon Valley Local Arts Grants Review Panel (2013), and participating in the Getty Museum Management Institute, UC Berkeley (1989). After her retirement, she continued to care deeply about sustaining an engaged community of artists with whom she had collaborated for many years. Janet loved spending time with family, attending small family dinners and large happy parties on birthdays and holidays, as well as solemn religious celebrations. She enjoyed hosting Thanksgiving dinner and leading her guests on a walk through her neighborhood, stopping frequently to point out and name various trees and shrubs along the way. She liked to sing to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, join them in prayers, and encourage them in their endeavors at school or work. She taught the younger generations how art can improve life by bringing beauty into the world and opening minds to new ideas, and she encouraged them to include art in their environments. In her free time Janet enjoyed gardening and put a great deal of time and effort into maintaining a beautiful garden in her back yard and sharing its bounty. Family and neighbors may remember her fearlessly climbing a wooden ladder high into the trees, determined to pick the best fruit for her friends. She always encouraged the young men in the family to take their wives lovely bouquets of the flowers she grew. Her love of the natural world made her protective of the environment; she avoided buying unnecessary things and went to great lengths to reduce, reuse, and recycle. A basketball fan who always rooted for the Warriors, Janet made a point of sitting courtside at grandson John Paul’s high school basketball games, even when they were road games far away from home. She proudly declared that she, along with son Greg, John Paul, and his son Sebastian constituted four generations of Warriors fans. Janet was an activist who cared deeply for the needy, disadvantaged, and marginalized members of the community, and always tried to help people out. She fought for women’s equality, especially in academia and in the workplace, so it was fitting that she passed away on International Women’s Day. During her last years, Janet greatly appreciated the care of a wide network of medical specialists and the support of other cancer survivors at the Go2 Foundation. Janet made the most of her life and will be sorely missed by her loving family and colleagues. 
Steve Yamaguma October 25, 1951 – March 5, 2023 Steve Yamaguma was a trusted friend and colleague. He was there when you needed him, through ups and downs. As a member of our Euphrat Museum advisory board during the years of major growth before 2011, he helped to strategize, come up with new ideas, bring people together. He was on the ground for community events, happy to set up a video online. In more recent years, as a friend and fellow arts activist, we continued to meet and talk about community needs, something Steve understood well. You are missed, Steve—your intensity, fun, understanding, imagination, never-giving-upism. You’re in our hearts. The Euphrat collaborated on a big project with Steve and his Design2Market firm around 2008–2009. He was in charge of developing logo and promotional materials, such as a clear and compelling brochure and website telling who we were. We had just built a brand new, multifunctional Euphrat Museum of Art facing Stevens Creek Boulevard, and were proud of our forward-looking home. To me, an ideal logo expresses our personality. What we ultimately chose was most exciting—and the result of an unusual process and team effort with Design2Market that included insight from Silicon Valley marketing guru Regis McKenna and collaboration with our longtime designer Samson Wong, a former student. Artist/collaborator Nancy Hom: “I remember we noodled over it until it was just right. Steve spent so much time with us on the website. He was very patient and thorough.” Steve was great at handling the complexities of working with our upstart organization and the challenging, loose group of people. We came up with a lively three-part logo—colorful, fun, uniquely us, that Design2Market and Samson Wong could play with for years to come in ways not normal for logos. It had energy, surprise, was somewhat anthropomorphic, somehow both grounded and taking flight. The logo was later made into classy pins (the idea of board member Helen Lewis) to be given to Euphrat donors who helped us survive and thrive as an activist entity. I cherish the logo and the pin reminder of the energy and love to this day. 
Please visit his memorial. 
Jerrold Asao Hiura: "Dr. Jerry" September 9, 1947 – December 26, 2019 Whatever you may already know about Dr. Jerry Hiura, it’s probably only about half of the story. You may be among those who benefited from his dental care, including fellow artists who Dr. Jerry treated in exchange for one of their artworks. Or perhaps you enjoyed a performance of the Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS), which he co-founded. Jerry’s dedication to the arts was neverending. He chaired the San Jose Arts Commission, was president of Arts Council Silicon Valley, and served on the San Jose Museum of Arts board of trustees. He helped establish the Japantown Community Congress of San Jose, and guided the creation of three Japantown landmark public art/quiet resting places, or Ikoinoba. As a board member of Chopsticks Alley Art, Jerry highlighted the synergy of Japanese and Vietnamese American art history. In recognition of his extensive contributions to the arts community, Gov. Grey Davis appointed him to the California State Arts Council, where he became vice-chair. Jerry was a creative force not just in the community, but an accomplished painter, guitarist, writer and jewelry maker, not to mention a competitive golfer. His legacy continues through many scholarship and fellowship awards that recognize and support young artists: the Dr. Jerry Hiura Young Artist Award, the Jerry Hiura Asian Artists Fellowship, and the Dr. Jerry Hiura Inspiration Award. Please visit the website celebrating his life at www.drjerryhiura.com. |
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