Christa Jaeger-White

Christa Jaeger-White, 71, of Hopkinton, lovingly known as “Nana” to her grandchildren, was born in Seattle to John Jaeger and Evelyn Jaeger Whitney. She was a kind, generous woman who provided unlimited support and love to everyone she knew. Her genuine enthusiasm for everything was inspiring and touched everyone around her.

Christa grew up in the Pacific Northwest, attending Shoreline High School and earning her degree at The Evergreen State College. She was a lifelong Democrat and a passionate advocate for equitable public policy. She dreamed of a world where all people had the same rights and opportunities. Some of her favorite stories included tales of working on political campaigns in her early 20s; the McGovern campaign has yet to reimburse the last of her receipts. Christa spent her career as a senior industrial relations agent with the State of Washington, helping countless families by ensuring employers complied with labor laws, especially in hour and wage enforcement. She was active in her AFL-CIO union and served her colleagues as a shop steward.

While working as a public servant, Christa raised her two children in Silverdale, Washington. She married the love of her life, Paul White, in 2014, then retired and moved to Massachusetts to be close to her beloved grandchildren.

In retirement, Christa had the opportunity to fulfill her dreams of seeing the world. Her adventurous spirit took her around the Caribbean (especially her favorite island of St. Martin), Hawaii, Mexico, Europe and more. She loved to gather and break bread with loved ones, and her charm and magnetism turned strangers to friends everywhere she went.

Christa cherished having a big, loving family, and there are no words to express how much she is adored and will be missed. She is survived by her husband, Paul White; her children, Andrea Emery and Ian Emery and wife Amanda Emery; her grandchildren, Carter, Eliza and Holden Emery; her brother, John David Jaeger; her sister, Karen Selander; her niece and nephew, Nora and Matthew Selander, her stepchildren and grandchildren, Mike, Trinity and James White, and Aimee, Zion, Catalena, Kaya, Jupiter and Silvano Hayden; her uncle Elton Atkinson; first cousins Michelle Caraccia and husband Steve, Pat Atkinson, Fred Atkinson and wife Kathy, Chuck Atkinson and wife Libby, and Peggy Atkinson. She also loved her fur babies and grand-fur babies who meant the world to her, Voodoo, Cina, Milo, Gypsy, Ravyn, Roxy and Turtle.

Christa fought a courageous battle with cancer, showing unbelievable bravery. Memorials may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in memory of Christa Jaeger-White to support cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284 or via dana-farber.org/gift.

Arrangements are under the care of the Chesmore Funeral Home of Hopkinton.

Obituaries are submissions, typically from funeral homes, that are not subject to the same level of editorial oversight as the rest of the Hopkinton Independent. Obituaries may be edited for grammatical and factual mistakes and clarifications and shortened for space considerations.