Christa Emmerich, 75, passed away at her home of 45 years on Wednesday, March 25, 2015.
Christa was born in Regenwalde, Germany in 1939. When occupation forced her family from her home and her father was off at war, Christa, her mother and sisters were moved to the tiny village of Heissenbüttel, near Bremen. Christa recalled fondly her time there, riding her beloved bicycle for great distances through idyllic verdant fields to join her dance group.
As a teenager, she moved to Bremen, where she studied to become a milliner, something she was deeply proud of. She and her sister were passengers aboard the SS Bremen, about to arrive at their new home in New York when they learned of John F. Kennedy’s great tragedy.
Christa met the love of her life on a blind date arranged by family members. Within a week, the man who would become her husband of 51 years asked for her hand in marriage. Five months later, they were married in a joint civil ceremony with her sister and his cousin at New York’s City Hall. Their deep love of classical music brought them together and nourished their marriage.
Christa proudly joined the family business, a decorating concern that began in Berlin and continued in New York. Christa was a keen traveler, relishing the opportunity to know other cultures, music and languages. She saw much of the world and was eager to visit Berlin twice a year to relish the singular opera and theater communities.
Her family is forever grateful for the brilliant and thoughtful care that she received at Winthrop University Hospital over the many years of her illness. We tend sometimes to use words like kind, compassionate, honest and good without thinking about their significance. Christa was all of these things; we have lost a unique soul, truly good.
Christa is survived by her deeply devoted husband Ralf, her daughter Andrea, son-in-law Patrick and dear granddaughters Abbey and Elli of Wilton, her sister Vera Eckardt of New York, and her sister-in-law Heidi Ritz of New York.
Christa is predeceased by her loving parents and her sister Ruth.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Department of European Paintings, in memory of Christa Emmerich, 1000 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10028, or online.