Christine "Chris " Margarethe Hanson

Chris was born Christel Margarette Mueller on January 30, 1939, in the small German town of Finow. She was born at the beginning of World War 2. By the time she left Germany, the war had ended, and much of the country was in ruins. Berlin, which had long been her home, was now torn in two.

When Chris was seven, she and her family migrated to France. Because her first name was Christel (a traditional German name), she was often picked on by other schoolgirls. She recalled how the nuns at school often saved her from bullying by the other children. Subsequently, she changed her first name to Christina. They lived in France for approximately two and a half years.

Next, she and her family relocated to the Dominican Republic, where they resided for approximately five years. Their ultimate goal was to become citizens of the United States. (On May 9, 1958, she became a naturalized US citizen).

At the age of 15, she arrived in America, and she attended Cal High School in Whittier. She recalls being shy and introverted. One teacher suggested that she join the yearbook committee. She learned to work in a group and socialize more. One student on the committee called her a "polyglot” (spoke multiple languages). A title that made her smile. Cal High was a brand-new school, and hers was the second graduating class.

In May 1959, Chris and Estel met on the beach in Belmont Shores, California. They dated and fell in love. Five months later, they married in Las Vegas on October 3, 1959. Soon after, she gave birth to two sons, Michael and Damon. She and Estel were married for 66 years, and she called him the love of her life.

She accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal Savior in 1961. (She recalls that Mike was just 3 months old and she was 21). Angela Savini, a member of East Whittier Baptist Church, had been witnessing to her. It was the beginning of the Hansons' long relationship with this church.

She was 36 when she started the two-year nursing program at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, California. She was the oldest student in her class at that time. When asked why she wanted to become a nurse, she recalled that God spoke to her in a still, small voice, telling her to do so.

Fun fact: to complete her degree, she had to take a required chemistry class, and in 1976, she took it alongside her eldest son, Michael, and his friend, Rod Knowles.

She graduated at the age of 38 from Rio Hondo College with an Associate's Degree in Nursing (ASN/RN). Chris began working immediately at Brea Community Hospital in the Pre-Op Surgical Center.

She worked as a registered nurse until she was 72, with 34 years of combined full- and part-time service. Her last position was in outpatient surgery at the Hemet Healthcare Surgicenter in Hemet, California. When asked to reflect on her years of service, she summarized that “you need to like the people and patients." “You have to show compassion and kindness." Her unwavering commitment to caring for others left a legacy, and she held no regrets about her nursing career.

She is survived by her youngest son, Damon and daughter-in-law, Dinah.

A Funeral Service will be held at Menifee Bible Church, 26815 Murrieta Rd, Menifee, CA 92585, US, on April 15, 2026, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm.