Born in Hamburg in 1919, Traute Lafrenz was a German resistance fighter who studied under the tutelage of Ema Stahl. Before she died on March 6, 2023, Lafrenz was the last living member of the White Rose group. The German resistance fighter died at the age of 103 at her home in South Carolina.
Her family received a handwritten letter from Germany’s president in honor of her contributions to the country shortly after she passed. She is survived by her sister-in-law Dorothy Easley, her children: Renee Meyer, Michael Page, Thomas Page, and Kim Page; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Here are 10 Facts about Traute Lafrenz
1. The Last survivor of the White Rose was the youngest of the three daughters her parents had
Traute Lafrenz was born in Hamburg on May 3, 1919, in Hamburg. Her father Carl was a tax officer while her mother, Hermine was a housewife. She was raised alongside her two older sisters in a German-national home.
She attended Lichtwark School, the same school Loki and Helmut Schmidt also studied. After she graduated she went to Munich and studied medicine. It was while she was there that she met Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell-both members of the White Rose.
In 1937 when coeducation was abolished, Traute moved to a convent school. In 1939, she studied medicine at the University of Hamburg in the summer semester. She later worked in Pomerania.
2. She got involved in with The White Rose group in the 1940s
After meeting Hans Scholl and Christoph Probst in Munich, she got inspired by Rudolf Steiner’s writings. It was the same time she was opposing the Nazi regime. She began to organize literary evenings with Hans Scholl and later on she and his sister Sophie Scholl bought stamps and paper for distributing White Rose.
Traute Lafrenz also gave the flyers to her fellow students and professors and even brought them to Vienna and Hamburg. Lafrenz zoon established contacts with the Munich and the Hamburg group of the White Rose to warn them of the arrest of one of their member. Besides that, she also wrote appeals for clemency for imprisoned friends.
3. Lafrenz’s Arrest and Trial
With her friends in danger and facing execution, Lafrenz was arrested in connection with the leaflet distribution but she later succeeded in disguising her involvement. She was later convicted in the People’s Court and sentenced to one year in prison.
Just when she was awaiting trial, the American Allies liberated the prison where she was held for three days. Reports say if she had been tried, she would have been likely sentenced to death.
4. Traute Lafrenz emigrated to the United States in 1949
After she narrowly escaped death, Traute got an invitation from a Jewish friend to travel to San Francisco. With such an opportunity, she emigrated to the United States in 1949, and then she went ahead to complete her medical studies at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in San Francisco, California.
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5. She Married Veron Page in 1949
Traute Lafrenz met her husband, Veron Page when she moved to the United States. They married in 1947 and shared four children; Renee, Michael, Thomas, and Kim. Her husband was an eye surgeon. Together with her husband, Lafrenz formed a medical practice in Hayfork California. Her husband went on to receive more training in ophthalmology.
The family moved to Chicago in 1963 where the German fighter worked as a head of Esperanza school for disadvantaged children for 23 years. The school was a private, therapeutic day school serving students with developmental disabilities between the ages of 5 and 21. Before she retired, she was involved in the anthroposophical movement in the US.
Following her husband’s death in 1995, she moved in with her daughter Renee in South Carolina.
6. The former White Rose group member was honored in 2019
During her 100th birthday celebration in 2019, Traute Lafrenz was praised by the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier for being a hero of freedom and humanity. The president also added that she was one of the few people who had the courage to listen to their conscience and rebel against the dictatorship and genocide of the Jews. It was at the same, she received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
7. Her Children never knew she was a member of the White Rose group
While raising her kids, Traute kept her past away from her family, especially her children. Her daughter once revealed that she learned about her mother’s past while she was on a trip to Europe in the 1970s.
Renee revealed her mother was asked about her time in the White Rose by a total stranger on a trip. That was when she realized that her mother had suffered and achieved so much. However, they rarely spoke about it.
8. Traute traveled extensively during her final years
As she approached her 80s and 90s, the German fighter always traveled extensively with her family. They traveled to places such as Italy, Austria, France, Spain, Norway, Ireland, Scotland, Egypt, Mexico, and also South America.
9. What are her Children up to?
Her son, Michael works as a Waldorf teacher together with his daughter, Emily. Renee is a homeopath while the other two Thomas and Kim work as architects and shrimp growers respectively.
10. Traute Lafrenz: Cause of Death
On March 6, 2023, Traute Lafrenz’s son revealed she died near Charleston at the age of 103. Also, the death of the last resistance fighter of the White Rose group was confirmed by the White Rose Foundation.
Traute Lafrenz Page’s memorial service was held on March 11, 2023, at her daughter’s home.
