March 14, 1938 – September 3, 2025

Hans Clausen Wurster passed away peacefully at home in Breckenridge, CO on September 3, 2025 at the age of 87. He enjoyed life to the fullest, never letting age slow him down.

Hans was born in Philadelphia, PA on March 14, 1938 and spent most of his childhood and adolescence in Moorestown, NJ. His deep love for the outdoors was fostered from an early age. He grew up hunting waterfowl with his father in the marshes of the Delaware Bay. When he was ten years old, he began attending Camp Chewonki, in Wiscasset, Maine. He returned as a camper and then as a waterfront counselor. Between his time at Chewonki he continued to spend time in the woods at Keewaydin Canoe Camp on Lake Timagami, Ontario. He also spent several summers working on his grandfather’s dairy farm in Green Lake, Wisconsin and serving as crew on his grandfather’s sailboat.

As a high school sophomore, Hans attended Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts where he remembers the impact of headmaster Frank Boyden. He went on to Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH where he discovered his life long passion for rowing and skiing.

While at Dartmouth, Hans joined the Navy ROTC and was commissioned as a Lieutenant JG following his graduation in 1960. He served on the USS Porterfield based out of San Diego, CA and was deployed throughout the Pacific in the early 1960s.

After his discharge from the Navy, Hans began working for the Scott Paper Company. First in Seattle, then Boise, ID and Honolulu, HI. While in Hawaii he loved having a “real” job learning about all things Hawaiian, particularly the sport of surfing. When he wasn’t working, he spent as much time as he could frequenting the breaks around Honolulu and the North Shore of Oahu. Fondly recalling some of his epic rides on waves of consequence well into his 80s.

His love of Hawaii never dimmed, even after returning to the mainland to start graduate school at Cornell University. It was here, he met the love of his life, Mary Jane (MJ) Champlin. After finishing graduate school, Hans and Mary Jane were married November 4, 1967. They eventually settled in Philadelphia, PA where he continued his career at the Scott Paper Company. Their two sons, Fred and Pete, were born in Philadelphia before they moved across the country to Tacoma, WA when Hans began a new job.

After pursuing consumer products marketing and sales at several companies in the Pacific Northwest, Hans joined International Multifoods in 1984 as VP of marketing and sales for one of their companies, Kaukauna Cheese, in Little Chute, WI. In 1986, Hans, along with the Kaukauna Management team and local Fox Cities businessmen, purchased Kaukauna. They ran the company for 10 years before selling it to Fromageries Bel in 1996. Hans retired from Bel-Kaukauna USA in 1999 to enjoy an active life in Breckenridge, CO.

In retirement, Hans kept engaged and active. Volunteering with the Loveland Ski Patrol, Frisco Rowing Center, Smart Bellies, The Summit Foundation, and the Breckenridge Music Festival Board. Hans competed as a master athlete with the Summit Nordic Masters Ski group and participated in several Master Nordic Worlds events. He regularly skied with and loved the Breckenridge Ski Club. He also was an avid mountain biker, an early adopter of e-bikes and, most recently, recumbent bikes. His passion though was rowing on scenic Lake Dillon where he spent many early mornings rowing and training in his single or in a double shell with his wife. Hans and MJ spent many years traveling to compete in national and international rowing regattas together.

Hans was a compassionate and enthusiastic friend, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and husband. He was predeceased by his parents, Willliam Albert and Jane Clausen Wurster, and by his brothers, William Jr. and Robert Wurster. He is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Mary Jane; his sons: Frederic (Shelly) and Hans-Peter (Kate) Wurster; his sister-in-law, Melissa Champlin Morrill (Tom); his grandsons: Emmett, Reuben, and Chase Wurster; and nephew, Cole Morrill.

The family would like to thank relatives, friends, Lenka’s Loving Care caregivers, and Bristlecone Home Health and Hospice staff who helped Hans during his final weeks.

Contributions in memory of Hans may be made to Breck Create Community Engagement Music,The Summit Foundation, St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Smart Bellies, or the Bristlecone Foundation.

A Celebration of Life will be held at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Breckenridge, CO on October 4, 2025 at 11:00 AM with a light luncheon to follow in the Gathering Place, downstairs at the church. All are welcome to attend.