Roman Spa Hot Springs founder Gena Quast turned 100-years old in December.
Roman Spa Hot Springs in Calistoga was founded by Gena and Max Quast.
CALISTOGA — To honor an immigrant from Germany, a nurse during WWII, and founder of Calistoga’s Roman Spa Hot Springs, the city of Calistoga proclaimed Gena Quast Day in honor of her 100th birthday and many contributions to the community.
“Whereas Gena has made significant contributions within the City of Calistoga, for her support of our local culture and economy, and still resides in Calistoga and continues to be engaged with her family and friends,” the city proclamation reads for Jan. 8.
Mayor Chris Canning added, “An enormous thank you from the City of Calistoga. Clearly what you and your husband Max founded here is part of the fabric and is an iconic institution of Calistoga, and certainly over the decades has drawn people here. Thank you for that hard work.”
Born Genoveva Login, in Germany, Gena was raised in an orphanage. She grew up to study nursing in Berlin, and graduated in 1943.
In the early 1950s she went to Canada, and emigrated to the U.S. in 1955. In San Francisco, she met Max Quast, a builder. They married in 1957. Gena worked as a nurse until about 1970.
The couple enjoyed the weather in Calistoga, and soaking in the mineral waters, and in 1975 bought what was then Piner’s Hot Springs. They renovated the simple buildings into a resort and changed the name to Roman Spa Hot Springs.
Gena enjoyed greeting guests and “never stopped going,” said son Michael Quast. “It was hard to stop her. She was always running from one place to the other, but they also took time to soak in the pools and just relax.”
The couple enjoyed a quiet life but were also involved in a homeowners association, which partially transformed into the Chamber of Commerce.
The couple operated and lived at the resort until they retired in 1997, and the resort has been run by their son, Michael, and his wife, Kathy, ever since.
After they retired, Gina and Max moved off the resort property and into a house built by Max and Michael only a few blocks from the resort. They still frequented the pools most evenings throughout the year, and visiting with long-term guests.
Max and Gena enjoyed traveling, and visiting friends and relatives in Europe and Canada. They took driving trips, cruises, and toured Asia, the Soviet Union, England, the Caribbean and much of the U.S. and Mexico.
Max died in 2008.
Though there isn’t any one thing Gena attributes to her longevity, “She always thought she wouldn’t live that long but she’s the one who’s lived the longest,” Michael said. “Sometimes just being in Calistoga gives you that time to be more relaxed and live longer.”
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SEE PHOTOS OF NAPA’S ABC BAKERY THROUGH THE YEARS
ABC 1990
Alexis Handelman opened her ABC cafe and restaurant in 1990.
Alexis Handelman of Alexis Baking Company
Alexis Handelman of Alexis Baking Company in a photo from 2015.
Alexis Handelman of ABC Bakery
Alexis Handelman puts finishing touches on a wedding cake, one of her ABC restaurant and bakery's specialties.
ABC Bakery: small business of the year 2017
Alexis Baking Company owner Alexis Handelman, center, accepts the award as the Small Business of the Year from the Napa Chamber of Commerce at its 2017 Annual Meeting. Helping with the presentation is Mechanics Bank Vice Chairman Michael Downer, left, and Travis Stanley, chamber president and CEO.
Easter Egg Dyeing at ABC Bakery
Kayla Farris, 4, reacts as her mother Whitney removes an egg from a natural dye at an Easter egg coloring event at Alexis Baking Company and Cafe in 2015.
Easter Egg Dyeing at ABC Bakery
Eighteen-month-old Ashley Lombardi dyes her first egg.
ABC 2004 story
A 2004 Napa Register story about ABC bakery.
ABC Bakery celebrates first anniversary, Oct. 1991, page 1
Alexis Handelman and ABC Bakery were profiled in the Napa Register in 1991.
ABC Bakery, Oct. 1991, page 2
Alexis Handelman and ABC Bakery were profiled in the Napa Register in 1991.
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You can reach Cynthia Sweeney at 942-4035 or csweeney@weeklycalistogan.com.
Cynthia Sweeney
The Weekly Calistogan Editor
Cynthia Sweeney has been editor of The Weekly Calistogan since July, 2018. Previously, she was a reporter for the St. Helena Star, and North Bay Business Journal. She also spent a significant amount of time freelancing in Hawaii.
