Charles C. "Kip" Thieriot

1947 - 2021

Charles "Kip" C. Thieriot

Charles "Kip" C. Thieriot passed away of Covid 19 on January 2, 2021 in San Francisco, CA. Born on July 12, 1947, he spent his life in the Bay Area community, engaged in a wide variety of professional and personal interests. After receiving a BA from Stanford University in 1970, and a MBA from UC Berkeley in 1972, Kip began his professional career with the Chronicle Publishing Company in San Francisco.

In 1973, Kip began working at Western Communications, the cable and motion picture division of the Chronicle. Over the following fifteen years, Western Communications achieved very strong growth. He served as the Treasurer, Vice President, and then President of Western Communications. He also served as a Director (1989-1993) of the Chronicle Publishing Company and on its Strategic Planning Committee. Additionally, he was a Board member of the National Cable Television Association and the California Cable Television Association. He was active in many of the fledgling industry's joint early efforts at expansion. He worked at Western Communications until 1993.

Kip also served on the Board of Directors of the Parrott Investment Company, a Ranch and Farming Company in Northern California, for 20 years.

Kip loved Maui and the relaxed Hawaiian lifestyle. When traveling to visit Maui in 1999, he had an idea during the flight and wrote out a business plan on several napkins. In the months following, Kip founded Maui Blue, LLC., a vacation rental business, for which he acquired and managed a collection of high-end beachfront homes on Maui. He split his time between San Francisco, Woodside, and Maui.

Between the years of 1971 to his passing, Kip invested his time with a broad range of interests. He served on the Boards of the following organizations: The McNamara Group (1983-86), Planetree (San Francisco, 1985-97), St. Marks School (Southborough, MA, 1987-96), The Infant Hearing Foundation (San Francisco, 1989-91), The Ft. Mason Foundation (San Francisco, 1994-2000), The San Francisco Zoological Society, Drew School (San Francisco), and Snappt Fraud Detection. He was also a director of the following organizations: San Francisco Bachelors (1971-73), Skouras Pictures (1986-94), and Kids Turn (2000-01).

Kip also served as a Treasurer for the Planetree San Francisco Organization (1994-97), and the Ft. Mason Foundation (1997). Additionally, in 1998, he was the Vice Chairman of the Ft. Mason Foundation. In 1973, he was the Vice President of the San Francisco Bachelors.

As an avid golfer who played on the Stanford Golf team, Kip was a long-time member of the Burlingame Country Club and the Cypress Point Club, along with the Pacific Union Club. Beside time spent with his family and close friends, Kip's most joyful moments were on the golf course. Even in the later years of life when his health prevented him from golfing, he would reflect and strategize how to play particular holes from memory.

Kip was curious and interested in other cultures. He was profoundly affected by his international travels, especially in Africa, India, Europe, and Southeast Asia. He was also fascinated with problem solving challenges, considered by many to be a trusted advisor and voice of blunt reasoning. Kip found great happiness in helping others.

While Kip accomplished much in his life, he will be remembered much more for the man he was rather than what he did. He was jovial, always seeking the opportunity to make others smile and laugh. He was a caring, extraordinarily generous, supportive and devoutly loyal friend, uncle, and father figure to many. In addition to being a loving father to his son, Charles Rhys Tobin Thieriot, and father-in-law to Jessica Jane Thieriot, he was a proud godfather to six. His family and countless friends will miss Kip dearly.

A memorial gathering will be held later this year.