Christel DeHaan ( Stark, October 20, 1942 – June 6, 2020) was a German-American

businesswoman A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...

and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

who was the owner of

Resort Condominiums International RCI (formerly Group RCI and, before that, Resort Condominiums International) is a timeshare exchange company with over 4,300 affiliated resorts in 100 countries. Founded in Indiana in 1974 by Jon and Christel DeHaan, RCI is one of the two main ...

and the founder of Christel House International.

Early life

DeHaan was born in 1942 in

Nördlingen Nördlingen (; Swabian: ''Nearle'' or ''Nearleng'') is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, with a population of approximately 20,674. It is located approximately east of Stuttgart, and northwest of Munich. It wa ...

, Germany, the daughter of Adolf Stark, a German soldier who died shortly before the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, and his wife Anna Stark. Her stepfather, Wilhelm Riedel died when she was 16. At the age of 16, she moved to the United Kingdom to become a

nanny A nanny is a person who provides child care. Typically, this care is given within the children's family setting. Throughout history, nannies were usually servants in large households and reported directly to the lady of the house. Today, modern ...

. Aged 20, she emigrated to the United States, settling in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

Career

In 1974, DeHaan co-founded the pioneering timeshare company

, 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. In 1995, she sold RCI for $825 million.

Philanthropy

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

Personal life

In 1972, she married Jon DeHaan (b. 1940). She had three children and lived in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, Indiana, US. She died on June 6, 2020, at her home.

References

1942 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen 20th-century German businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesswomen 21st-century German businesspeople American billionaires American women philanthropists Businesspeople from Indianapolis Female billionaires German billionaires West German emigrants Immigrants to the United States German philanthropists German women philanthropists People from Nördlingen {{US-business-bio-1940s-stub