Ruth Hance

Ruth Anne ("Anne") Hance passed away peacefully on August 3, 2019, in Davis, California. Anne Hance and her family were Davis residents for 51 years, after moving from Mountain View in 1968.

Born March 5, 1932, in Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, England, Anne invested her life in children's education: that of her students in England, her children in California, and the children of Davis where she lived and worked so long.

As a girl, Anne lived in Oxford, England, and always considered that the real home of her heart.

Anne Hance was the author of several books, including her recent "To Read Is To Fly," an annotated bibliography of stories imbued with scientific exploration and discovery for children, youth, and adults. Previously, she worked with artist Kathy West on "The Book of Science Days," the sale of which benefited EXPLORIT Science Center.

At the University of Birmingham (Birmingham, England) she was awarded a BS in Zoology (with a minor in Botany) and earned a secondary school teaching certificate. After a few years teaching, Anne emigrated from England to California in 1958 with her husband, who worked on the academic faculty at the Schools of Medicine, first at the University of California Los Angeles, then Stanford University, then the University of California Davis.

In Davis, Anne worked extensively with gifted student programs (and consulted to similar programs in Dixon and Vacaville). She was a co-founder of the Friends of the Gifted and Talented, and later of the Davis Science Center (now known as EXPLORIT Science Center) Anne was EXPLORIT's executive director until her retirement in 1993.

She served on many community and school district advisory committees. Anne was active with the Davis Stamp Club, the Davis Educational Enrichment Council (DEEC), the Area Internet Users Group, and the Davis Community Network. Her delight in photography and the internet were particularly benefited by the rise of social media in the past decade.

In 1983, Anne Hance shared (with her dear friend, Evelyn Buddenhagen) the City of Davis annual Brinley award for community service.

Kind, wise, and thoughtful, Anne had friends throughout the greater Davis area. Nothing pleased her more, in later years, than friends dropping by unexpectedly for a visit. She was a happy participant in a Friday supper group that always intended to play a new card or board game together, or work on jigsaw puzzles, but often lost itself in enthusiastic current event and philosophical conversation.

Anne Hance was preceded in death by her husband, Anthony James ("Jim") Hance, whom she always dearly missed.

She is survived by her three sons: David Anthony Hance (of Davis, California) and his wife Christine, Peter Andrew Hance (of Silverdale, Washington) and his wife Merridy, and Stanley John Hance (of Salado, Texas) and his wife Lisa. She is also survived by grandchildren: Carrie Grant and Jon Sellar, the children of her son Peter’s wife Merridy Hance, and by Brittnie Roediger and Kyle Roediger, the children of her son John’s wife, Lisa Hance.

Donations in Anne Hance’s memory can be made to the Explorit Science Center, 3141 5th Street, Davis, CA 95618, or visit www.explorit.org.