“Fates are all different, no one knows what’s what’s coming. I am grateful and live each day as it comes.”
Verena Daerendinger was born in Trachselwald in the Bernese Emmental in 1922. She grew up with her two younger sisters on her parents’ farm. There was no bathroom; the toilet was in the barn. She had a happy and carefree childhood, mainly thanks to her grandmother, who lived in the farmhouse and loved her dearly.
Verena Daerendinger attended primary school from the age of 7 to 16 and enjoyed arithmetic and writing. She then spent a year on a farm in Blonay to learn French. At the age of 17, she returned to her family farm, where her father and grandfather had been drafted into military service at the start of the Second World War. She later qualified as a farmer.
In 1953, they settled on a farm in Geneva, then in 1962 they had the opportunity to buy a farm on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel in the canton of Vaud. Verena Daerendinger and her husband took over a farm near Lake Neuchâtel. They raised pigs, cows, horses, sheep, chickens, rabbits, and bees, cultivated fruit trees, and maintained a large garden. She loved nature, animals, and plants. Today, the farm is run by her grandson, the third generation.
Verena Daerendinger overcame difficult periods in her life by rolling up her sleeves and drawing on her deep faith. She supported her husband during his bouts of depression and cared for him for a long time afterwards. She was deeply saddened by the loss of her son, grandson, and son-in-law. Her sister Anny, with whom she continued to speak Swiss German on the phone until old age, is also no longer with us. She sometimes wonders if she would have liked to have done something differently in her life and regrets not having stayed in the Emmental and not having devoted more time to her children, as she was constantly tied up with work. At the age of 103, she enjoys every moment with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren to the fullest.
Verena Daerendinger is part of a large family. She lives in the same house as her son and his wife, with the two of them upstairs and her downstairs. Several of her grandchildren live right next door. Her daughter, with whom she also gets on very well, also lives in the village. She has a very close relationship with her granddaughters, and their frequent visits are very important to her.
She says it’s nice and not nice to be 100 years old indeed at that time she is in good health and sleeps well, but her hearing and eyesight are poor. Above all, she is bothered by her limited mobility, which means she can only go out onto the terrace and no longer into the garden. She greatly appreciates how her family takes care of her. Nevertheless, it is important to her that she can still do some things independently: for example, she cooks herself on Sundays so that her children have the day off.
Verena Daerendinger says she is very content and feels great gratitude. And Verena Daerendinger still enjoys listening to music: the radio is turned on from 2 to 5 p.m. because that’s when only music is played. There is a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.