Christa Fraze

Christa Pfeuffer Fraze, 89, died peacefully on March 15, 2025, in Murrieta, California following a lengthy illness with Alzheimer’s disease.

Christa was born June 1, 1935, in Erfurt, Germany. She was the only child of Georg Pfeuffer and Helene (née Wichert) Pfeuffer. In 1949, she was confirmed in the Lutheran church. After enduring the War and Russian Occupation, Christa, age 15, and her mother escaped to West Germany, traveling across the border at Fulda, and settling in Koblenz where her father, who was working to bring them to freedom, was staying with his brother. During high school, she became an American Field Service exchange student in the United States. Christa loved life in America.

She returned to Koblenz, and at age 17 she began an apprenticeship on April 15, 1953, with Deinhard and Co., a wine manufacturer and exporter. Just three days later, on April 18, 1953, she met Jack Fraze, who was serving in the United States Army Signal Corps, stationed in barracks across the street from her home on Yorkstraße. Falling deeply in love, they married on December 4, 1954. Shortly thereafter, she flew alone to America, staying with her new mother-in-law whom she had never met. Jack awaited his military discharge orders, subsequently returning to the States via military ship, which took six weeks to cross the Atlantic. They settled in his home state of Indiana.

Christa and Jack had three children, Christa, Jon, and Mark. The family meant everything to her and Jack, and she loved raising her children. She taught them to be tolerant, to be independent thinkers, and to stand for what was good and right for its own sake.

The family moved based on Jack’s work, from Indiana, to Ohio, to New York, and in 1968, to California, where Christa lived the remainder of her life.

Christa was a devoted Christian, a lifelong Lutheran who always expressed her love for the Lord. Attending church together as a family was a core value. She exemplified trying one’s hardest, striving to excel, and being respectful.

Christa was unflappable. For example, as a youngster, she once drove a sewing machine needle through her finger, and ironically it became her task to calm her mother down. She was fearless, smart, playful, and loved gathering with family to laugh together about funny family stories.

She was a passionate gardener. Everything that grew in dirt – vegetables, flowers, plants, and fruit trees – blossomed under her care. Her artistic abilities were extraordinary, from loom weaving to pot throwing and ceramics, from macrame to sewing and quilting, from baking to home keeping. She made beautiful, detailed vestments and banners for two churches, sewed her own clothing, and created dolls and wall textiles.

Christa was preceded in death by Jack, her beloved husband of 64 years, in 2019. She is survived by her children, Christa Biddle (husband, Ken), Jon Fraze (wife, Sheryll), Mark Fraze (wife, Nancy), her grandchildren, Dylan Biddle, Trevor Biddle (wife, Sarah Mercado), Jaclyn Fraze, and her great-grandson, Koa Biddle-Mercado.

God rest your soul, Mom/Mutti/Grandma/Oma.

In lieu of flowers, we'd prefer donations to

Lutheran Social Services of Southern California

lsssc.org