Theresia Marie Kobler

Theresia (Vonarburg) Kobler was born in Ermensee, Switzerland on February 17, 1933 in the house her grandmother had built after the death of her husband. He had been a home builder and after his death, she tried to continue his business, but in those days, no one would patronize a female home builder. She soon had to close the construction business and take up tailoring and sewing. Theresia’s grandmother was a very important figure in her life. When she was very young, the depression had hit the family hard and Theresia’s mother was pregnant again. Her grandmother was lonely. The difficult decision was made to have Theresia go to live with her grandmother. Großmumi was quiet, resourceful, and kind, much like Theresia was herself. Once a week, they would travel to Theresia’s parent’s house in Hochdorf, to spend time with her siblings.

When Theresia was about 18, she moved to the French speaking part of Switzerland and got a job delivering bread on her bicycle every morning. She would tell the story of how she once hit the train tracks, crashed, and spilled her fresh loaves all over the ground. What could she do? She picked them up, dusted them off, and continued her delivery without saying a word.

When she was about 20, she became an au pair in Liverpool, England to a wealthy family with 2 small children. She cared for them for a year, until she had had enough of the children’s parents and moved back to Switzerland to work in her Uncle’s restaurant in Bern. It was there that she met Hans Kobler her future husband. They had many adventures together, riding his motorcycle through Spain and the Swiss Alps. They realized they wanted something more than Europe could offer. Along with their good friends, Cecil and Bernard Steger, they moved to Toronto, Canada, where they quickly became engaged and married in 1957. The four of them were a team, for awhile, working in high end restaurants and hotels in Canada and eventually in California. Theresia and Hans settled for a time in Mill Valley, with their young son, Norman, where they met other Swiss expatriates. The Bamatter family and the Walder family joined the Steger and Kobler families, forming a friend group that became like a family affectionately being referred to as the “Swiss Mafia.”

Hans had a dream of starting a Vineyard and Winery. He knew how good wines should taste. They moved to Anderson Valley in 1972 and bought property with John Dach. They sold that property and bought the old Pinoli property that would become Lazy Creek Vineyards. They then scrimped, saved and worked hard to establish a vineyard and later a winery. They ran Lazy Creek Vineyards until 1998, when Hans wanted to retire. He decided to sell the vineyard against his wife’s wishes. Being rather traditional in some respects, Theresia gave in and the vineyard was sold.

Theresia and Hans went right back to adventuring, sailing a 36 foot sailboat from California to Mexico and back again. Initially, Theresia, told Hans he could sail himself down and she’d meet him there as she got seasick. Fortunately, she was persuaded to go and quickly became the navigator, pushing her comfort level and becoming a stronger person, for it.

Theresia was the best grandmother to her 2 grandsons, Tiernan and Morgan. She was patient, kind and loving to her family. She hosted Christmases and Easters. She baked countless cookies and desserts over the years. She was an amazing cook, sharing her talent with so many people over her lifetime. The Koblers loved sharing food with people dear to them. She is survived by her son Norman, her Daughter in Law Colleen and grandsons Tiernan and Morgan.