Louise Heitfeld Boucher

Died December 8, 2013. She was born February 12, 1930 to Walter and Julia Kirby Heitfeld, in Wallace, Idaho. Her grandfather Henry Heitfeld was a US Senator from Idaho. Though a Santa Barbaran to the core, Louise spent her early years in Wallace, Santa Barbara, and Spokane, Washington.

Returning to Santa Barbara as a teenager she lived at the family home on Hot Springs Road in Montecito. She attended Marymount School and graduated from UCSB at the original Santa Barbara College campus. After college she married Hal Boucher, and for 60 years worked with him in the family photography business.

They had four children: Catherine, Carrie, Thomas, and Jonathan. Louise passed on to them her love of literature and the arts. She loved celebrating holidays with the family, and planning elaborate birthday parties.

In her early married years she was a member of the Junior League and also staffed the closet-sized gift shop at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. As her children matured she became very involved in preserving and enhancing Santa Barbara's unique character. She was President of, or on the Board of, numerous groups including the Historic Landmarks Commission, Citizens Planning Association, Sign Committee, SB Trust for Historic Preservation, the SB Conservancy, and the Pearl Chase Society. Pearl Chase was a great inspiration to her. She received numerous awards including the Santa Barbara Award from the Historic Landmarks Commission and the Pearl Chase Historic Preservation and Conservation Award.

Louise and Hal loved to travel, especially to see the art and architecture of the great cities of the United States and Europe; her favorite was Florence, Italy. She enjoyed politics, the New York Times crossword puzzle, her corgis Lucy, Emma, and Sarah, and her beloved Santa Barbara.

Louise is survived by her husband Hal, her children Cathy (Joe), Carrie (Pat), Tom (Patti), and Jon (Sharry), and her grandchildren Kate, Ciceley, Lauren, William, Carrie, and Jesse.

In lieu of flowers remembrances can be sent to Citizens Planning Association and the Pearl Chase Society. A gathering of family and friends will be held at the Santa Barbara Mission Rose Garden on Saturday December 14 at 1PM.