SAN MATEO — Colleen Straw had a beautiful smile, sparkly eyes and an endearing personality, and always saw the best in people.
Her friends and family now are mourning the sudden loss of a young woman, possibly at the hands of someone who took advantage of her trusting nature. Straw, 34, died Saturday at her San Mateo home, after calling police herself around noon to report that she had been stabbed.
San Mateo Police and other agencies are searching for her boyfriend, Anthony Kirincic, 22, who apparently fled before they arrived. Paramedics found Straw critically injured from several stab wounds and worked feverishly to treat her but were unable to save her.
In a statement, San Mateo Police are calling the case “another tragic example of the level to which domestic violence can escalate.”
Straw worked as a graphic designer for American Greetings Corp., which makes greeting cards and party goods. She also made mosaic-topped tables, which she sold to businesses and individuals.
Straw enjoyed collecting vintage items, particularly objects from the ’50s and ’60s. “She had a real eye for things from the past that were universally beautiful and appealing,” said her mother, Ann Straw, of Los Altos.
Colleen Straw enjoyed spending time with her family and friends. Her Chihuahua, Rocky, was her constant companion.
“She was a very loyal friend who enjoyed life,” Ann Straw said. “We could not have been more proud of her.”
The youngest of four children, Colleen Straw grew up in Los Altos. She attended Saint Simon Parish School in Los Altos, Saint Francis High School in Mountain View and Foothill Community College’s Middle College, an alternative high school program.
“From a very early age, she showed real talent as an artist,” her mother said.
For a while, Colleen Straw shifted her focus to athletics. She was a gymnast and was on the freshman basketball team at Saint Francis. She returned to art in college, earning a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from San Francisco State University.
After graduation, she worked as a graphic designer through The Creative Group and Minted.com, which links artists with consumers.
On Sunday, San Mateo police Capt. David Norris noted that on several occasions officers had responded to Colleen Straw’s home on the 1500 block of South B Street to domestic violence-related calls. His department, along with BART Police and the San Francisco Police Department’s Airport Bureau are pursing leads throughout the Bay Area, he said. “We continue to relentlessly search for Kirincic to bring him to justice.”
In Saturday’s search, police cordoned off an area near Holly Street and Industrial Road in San Carlos and evacuated a Sutter Health medical clinic, after Kirincic’s abandoned car was found in a parking structure.
Kirincic had several addresses in the county, according to police. Anyone with information on his whereabouts may contact Sgt. Glen Teixeira of the San Mateo Police at 650-522-7700.
Colleen Straw is survived by her parents, Dr. William and Ann Straw, of Los Altos; her siblings Kate Straw Loweth (husband: Christopher), of Campbell; Bill Straw (wife: Judy) of Hercules and Erin Straw, of Mountain View. Also surviving are nieces and nephews Nora, Patrick and Joseph Loweth; and Sofia and Gabriella Straw.
She will be missed, her mother said, by her large Irish family of aunts, uncles and cousins.
Colleen Straw had breakfast every Wednesday with her mother, and every Saturday with her dad, always at Jack’s Restaurant and Bar in San Mateo. They would chitchat and catch up on things.
“I will miss that,” Ann Straw said. “I will miss her.”
Contact Sharon Noguchi at snoguchi@mercurynews.com or 408-271-3775. Follow her at Twitter.com/Noguchionk12. Contact Queenie Wong at qwong@mercurynews.com or 408-920-2706. Follow her at Twitter.com/QwongSJ.
