Dr. Wolfgang Hallauer

Dr. Wolfgang Curt Hallauer

1926 - 2024

One year ago, on August 10, 2024, Dr. Wolfgang Curt Hallauer passed away peacefully in Santa Barbara, California, at the age of 97, leaving behind a life marked by resilience, service, and generosity.

Born in Berlin, Germany, Wolfgang was the only child of Else Woehler-Hallauer, a dramatic soprano celebrated for her Wagnerian repertoire, and Dr. Benno Hallauer, a pioneering gynecologist. Else Woehler-Hallauer performed in Lohengrin and Tannhäuser during the 1923 German Opera Festival Tour in New York and Boston, where reviewers admired her graceful tone and expressive depth. Dr. Hallauer ran a major clinic near the Reichstag, served as an army doctor at Verdun in 1916, and was later murdered at Auschwitz.

From childhood, Wolfgang aspired to medicine, often donning a child-size lab coat to shadow his father with playful seriousness. But his youth was marked by hardship: exile to a Swiss boarding school to escape anti-Semitism, a forced return to Germany in 1939, and internment in a labor camp he would later escape. At 17, he fled to the Alps, finding refuge in mountain lodges alongside German army deserters.

After the war, Wolfgang earned his medical degree in Germany before emigrating to the United States in 1951, joining his mother in San Francisco. He completed residencies in general surgery and surgical oncology, then served as a U.S. Army medical officer in Newfoundland (195355) , before returning to California to open a private practice in Los Angeles.

In 1981, Wolfgang married Peggy de Strakosch, a professional skier and diver. Together, they founded FITS Equestrian, leading horseback tours worldwide, before settling in the Santa Ynez Valley in 1983 to raise their sons. A passionate grower, Wolfgang first farmed specialty vegetables before transforming the land into a thriving vineyard. Later, recognizing the need for accessible and affordable medical care, he founded the Buellton Medical Clinic in 1997.

In 1994, on a flight from Los Angeles to Berlin, Wolfgang met Anna "Anne" Jud, a Swiss-born artist whose fearless public performances helped define West Berlin's punk-infused avant-garde scene, animating the city's urban spaces in the 1970s and 80s. They shared 20 years together in the Santa Ynez Valley, enriching its wine and art community until her passing in 2016.

With a keen mind and generous spirit, Wolfgang was active in the Santa Ynez Valley Hunt Club, St. Mark's Episcopal Church, and Rotary. He delighted in bridge, skiing, horseback riding, tennis, opera, reading, travel, and - above all- the company of friends.

Wolfgang is survived by his sons, Kai and Adrian Hallauer, and his grandson, Bennett Harlow Hallauer. The family extends heartfelt gratitude to the Santa Ynez Valley community, whose kindness and friendship enriched his life for more than four decades.