Verena Christen

Verena Christen was born on April 18, 1922 in a small canton in Switzerland. A sibling to three younger sisters and an older brother, she was the last to survive them. Never married, she is survived by nieces and nephews in the United States, Switzerland, and other parts of the world.

She trained as a nurse in Switzerland, then left her homeland to work as a private infant nurse for a family. She spent a short time in India before traveling to Canada and then the United States. In Mill Valley, she found a place she loved where the valley and Mount Tamalpais reminded her of Switzerland. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1975.

Mill Valley became Verena’s permanent home. She bought a house on Hill Street and, with the help of her father, who came from Switzerland to assist her, transformed it into a welcoming home. She also created a beautiful Japanese garden that became a neighborhood jewel. After many years there, she moved to The Redwoods, where she lived for the remainder of her life.

Verena was a talented nurse and worked at several Bay Area hospitals before retiring from UCSF after 20 years of service. Patients cherished her gentle nature, and physicians praised the kindness and skill with which she cared for them.

Retirement brought more time for travel and for enjoying San Francisco’s rich arts scene. Verena loved opera and classical music and was always curious about discovering new genres. She was an expert cook and generous hostess, an excellent seamstress who often made her own clothes with a sharp eye for design, and a talented artist who painted silk scarves. Meticulous in all she did, she was impeccably dressed whether at home or out on the town.

Fiercely strong and independent, Verena owned a car until she was 95. She often drove younger residents of The Redwoods to appointments and grocery stores and was a steadfast, loyal friend to many of her neighbors. Generous to a fault, she gave freely, even when she had little, and was always looking out for others. Verena walked every day, and was out on the corner of Miller Ave and Camino Alto every Friday from 4-5pm with the Seniors for Peace until she was 102, when a stroke left her paralyzed on her right side. She never fully recovered and died peacefully in her sleep at home at The Redwoods on October 2, 2026 after living a full and beautiful life.