Wendelgard von Staden, a German diplomat and author, died on May 21, 2026, at the age of 100.
Known as Wendi von Staden, she wrote the 1979 memoir “Darkness Over the Valley: Growing Up in Nazi Germany,” in which she recalled her youth during the Nazi era, including memories of a concentration camp on her family’s estate and her mother’s efforts to help those imprisoned there.
Wendelgard “Wendi” von Staden (née von Neurath; 7 June 1925 – 21 May 2026) was a German diplomat and author. In 1979, she published a memoir Darkness Over the Valley: Growing Up in Nazi Germany where she shares memories from her youth during the Nazi era about a concentration camp on her family’s estate and how her mother tried to help the people imprisoned there.