Christa V. Kraft

ST. JOHNSVILLE - Christa V. Kraft passed away on January 10, 2024, at the age of 83. She was born on November 4, 1940, in Mannheim, Germany, the daughter of the late Wilfred Y. and Anna (Schliessmann) Kraft. Christa was a graduate of St. Johnsville High School, class of 1959, and received her B.A. in Elementary Education from SUNY Cortland in 1963. She was a vital and adventurous person who never accepted limitations imposed upon her by her health.

Christa was a passionate traveler, photographer, lover of the arts and avid reader and news consumer. Born at the beginning of World War II, she spent her early years living in the country with her mother to avoid the bombings in the city. In 1944, Christa’s biological father, Friedrich Schliessmann, died in air combat and dramatically changed the course of Christa’s life. Her mother met and married Wilfred and he adopted her and her sister in 1948. The family then sailed to America via military ship. The journey took 16 days, and they arrived in New York Harbor on Christa’s eighth birthday. Christa then began her new life in the village of St. Johnsville, where she learned English and met some of her closest friends.

Immediately after graduating from college, Christa moved to New York City to become an airline stewardess for Pan Am. She regularly flew to Europe and the Middle East, which she loved doing, but she gave it all up to marry her college sweetheart, William F. Vesp, of Fort Plain, in 1964. As the wife of a college basketball coach at Syracuse and Colgate Universities, Christa’s life turned to the adventure of attending games and socializing. She had her children, met other lifelong friends and eventually began teaching elementary school.

After Bill left coaching, the family moved to the Capital District and Christa embarked upon her thirty-year teaching career at Waterford-Halfmoon UFSD. She loved teaching 5th grade and the collegiality of her fellow teachers and for many years enthusiastically led the Elementary School’s Model Rocketry Club.

Christa later divorced and once her children became adults, she embarked on many new adventures. She spent years working as an usher at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where she reveled in attending concerts as diverse as Huey Lewis and the News, the Grateful Dead, Sting and Phil Collins. She also loved the theater and regularly attended performances locally at the Spa Little Theater, Capital Repertory Theatre, and Proctors Theatre, as well as performances in Las Vegas when she visited her son’s family. She especially loved attending events with her grandchildren.

As a single, independent woman, Christa never stopped traveling. She visited family in Germany and friends all over the country, and she drove cross-country twice - once with each of her children. When they moved away, she visited them regularly, always fitting as many experiences and as much sightseeing into her visits as possible. Following her retirement from teaching, Christa traveled the world again, visiting Denmark, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Japan, China, Russia, Peru and the United Arab Emirates. Even when health ailments grounded her by the age of 77, she persisted. She hired a personal trainer and began weekly strengthening sessions that continued until the pandemic. Christa was never one to sit still, and she rarely wanted to, even once she had no choice.

Christa is survived by her children: Nicole (Christopher) Clarke and Gavin (Victoria) Vesp; her four grandchildren, Taylor Vesp, Mackenzie (Chase) Arnona and Charles and Casey Clarke; and her sister, Monica (Gerald) VanDewerker.

The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Wesley Health Care Center and the Community Hospice.

Memorial gifts and expressions of sympathy may be directed to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center at https://spac.org/donate/

Calling hours will be held, at the Enea Family Funeral Home, 9 Center St., St. Johnsville, NY, on Friday, March 8th, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., followed by a Prayer Service, at 4:00 p.m., with Rev. David A. Johnson, officiating.

Christa’s funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Enea, Ciaccia & Applegate Funeral Directors (518-568-2300).