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Remembering Joe Creitz

Dan Bernards


In December of 2024 our beloved friend Joe Creitz passed away. Joe was a force of nature in his time with the Sutro Stewards and his contributions will be remembered by all those who worked alongside him. In just three and a half years, Joe volunteered with us at least 44 times to my records – well over half of our trails events over the span he volunteered.  Joe took to the work quickly and had the perfect mix of skills to be an effective trailbuilder – an inquisitive mind wanting to learn and a desire to work hard. Joe came to us because he had discovered Mount Sutro early in the pandemic and wanted to give back to the space he had enjoyed for recreation and escape.



He quickly advanced from a hard working volunteer to one of our most knowledgeable and effective crew leaders. The joy and enthusiasm he brought to our workdays made Joe a favorite among our regular volunteers, and his leadership was the reason many came back to volunteer with us again. Joe never shied away from contributing extra, whether that was clearing out the tool container, doing maintenance, or joining for an ad hoc workday. Sutro Stewards also benefited from Joe’s contributions to our DEI working group, where he brought his background in advocacy and perspectives on equity. A product of that work was a guide on leading diverse crews of volunteers, which was drafted by Joe, and remains one of our crew leader training tools to instill inclusivity and improve our volunteer’s experience.


I viewed Joe as someone capable of greater contributions by stepping into the challenging workday supervisor role, which he had the opportunity to very capably do – although he was very clear with me that he didn’t want to be managing Sutro’s trails. I think in part because he didn’t want Mt. Sutro to be a job. Joe worked incredibly hard with us and was an amazing leader, and he did so out of a sense of ownership and stewardship for the place. Initially, I believe this was solely out of reverence for the open space, but with time I believe it became for the community of like-minded individuals that came to love and embrace him. As I use the trails these days, it is easy to recall project sites where Joe worked or led groups, as they are numerous, and I will hold these with a reverence of my own. I miss Joe dearly and know the Sutro Stewards are better off for the time he shared with us.


Dan Bernards

Trails Program Manager




I first met Joe Creitz when he showed up at a Saturday volunteer event. I quickly discovered that working along side of Joe helped me to improve my training skills when it came to teaching volunteers how to perform tasks. This was a result of Joe always asking why. I soon learned that if I gave better instructions and more thoroughly described why a task should be performed a certain way, I wouldn’t constantly need to answer so many questions. I also found that Joe loved learning about the history of Mount Sutro and early San Francisco and I would often fill the mornings sharing my knowledge with Joe and the crew. I can’t help but think of Joe in his orange jacket running the trails of Mt. Sutro on on his early morning excursions. 


Craig Dawson

Founder



 
 

© 2018 - 2024 Sutro Stewards

Sutro Stewards is a project of the San Francisco Parks Alliance, a 501(c)3 California nonprofit public benefit corporation.

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