Christel DeHaan

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Christel DeHaan
Resort Condominiums International
Spouse
Jon DeHaan
(m. 1973; div. 1987)
Children3

Christel DeHaan (

Resort Condominiums International
and the founder of Christel House International.

Early life

DeHaan was born in 1942 in Nördlingen, Germany,[1] the daughter of Adolf Stark, a German soldier who died shortly before the end of World War II, and his wife Anna Stark.[2] Her stepfather, Wilhelm Riedel, died when she was 16.[2] At the age of 16, she moved to the United Kingdom to become a nanny.[1] At the ago of 20, she emigrated to the United States, settling in Indiana.[1]

Career

In 1974, DeHaan co-founded the pioneering timeshare company

Resort Condominiums International, with her then-husband Jon DeHaan. In 1979, he had a heart attack, and she took over the running of the company. In 1987, they divorced; she was awarded half the company and bought the rest for $67.5 million.[3]

In 1995, she sold RCI for $825 million.[3][1]

Philanthropy

DeHaan founded and donated $220 million to Christel House International.

Cape Town, South Africa; and Indianapolis. The schools are designed to provide an education to poor children around the world. Christel House announced in July 2017 that a ninth school would open in Jamaica on August 2019.[4][5]

Personal life

In 1972, she married Jon DeHaan (b. 1940).[1] She had three children and lived in Indianapolis.[3] She died on June 6, 2020, at her home.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Hawn, Carleen (November 16, 1998). "Yearning for Love". Forbes. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  2. ^ . Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d "Forbes profile: Christel DeHaan". Forbes. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  4. Indianapolis Star. July 12, 2010. Archived from the original
    on January 26, 2013.
  5. ^ Starbuck, Dane. "Christel DeHaan." In Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present, vol. 5, edited by R. Daniel Wadhwani. German Historical Institute. Last modified March 24, 2014.
  6. ^ "Philanthropist, community leader Christel DeHaan dies at 77". WTTV CBS4Indy. June 6, 2020. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.