It is with a profound sense of loss that the family and friends of Victoria Erteszek Foote (1944–2012) announced her passing on December 29, 2012, after valiantly battling cancer for many years. Victoria left us as she had lived: with quiet dignity and grace, at home in the loving arms of her family and close friends.
Victoria was a new member of the Foundation’s Los Angeles Giving Circle. She had just joined and was looking forward to being a strong participant in the grant-making process. It is a great loss to us to not have the benefit of her wisdom and experience to help us in the coming years, for she was very involved in and knowledgeable about the non-profit world.
Victoria’s passion for philanthropy and serving those in need was instilled in her from childhood and she made community service a life-long commitment. She was particularly passionate about science and math education and was active in a number of educational endeavors.
Victoria served on the Board of Trustees of the California Science Center Foundation; the Board of Directors of The Los Angeles Library Foundation; the Incentive Awards Program at UC Berkeley; and she was co-founder of the Advisory Board of the Los Angeles Child Guidance Center. Victoria was also a principal of the Ertezsek Family Foundation which funded numerous educational and charitable programs.
Victoria has designated the Los Angeles Giving Circle as one of the charities to which people can donate in lieu of flowers, for which we are very grateful.