Denis and Verna Adam

Denis and Verna Adam were patrons who combined generosity with commitment and determination – an unstoppable force in any community they served.

Judge Verna Adams is currently the presiding Judge in Marin County Superior Court. Since 1999, she has specialized in family law cases and earned an excellent judicial reputation.

Early Life and Education

Verna was raised on a farm in Meade County, Kansas as one of two daughters. She had an irrepressibly enthusiastic personality who enjoyed listening to Motown music, cooking delicious family dinners, and caring for others around her. Additionally, Verna was very involved with Lighthouse Miracle Christian Center where she dedicated much of her time as a member.

Verna struggled with rheumatoid arthritis and other health conditions her entire life, yet still enjoyed playing piano at church and spending many weeknights practicing to support missions of the congregation.

She was pivotal in helping establish the Marin County Self Help Legal Center. Her passion was evident in all her courtroom rulings and actions.

Professional Career

Verna earned her business degree and held executive roles for both public and private companies. She excelled at creating and executing strategic business plans while overseeing major projects, with extensive expertise in finance and accounting as well.

Verna and Denis began collecting New Zealand art together and created the Adam Foundation as a charitable trust to house it all. Since then, this initiative has expanded to provide support to sculptors, writers and musicians as well.

Since 1996, The Foundation has supported the annual Adam Prize in Creative Writing awarded to students enrolled in Te Putahi Tuhi Auaha o Te Ao-Institute of Modern Letters’ Master of Arts in Creative Writing program. Additionally, support was extended to Marin Self Help Legal Center and various community groups.

Achievement and Honors

Judge Adams was one of the founding members of Marin County Women Lawyers and instrumental in establishing both family law and children’s court, as well as helping establish the Marin County Legal Self Help Center. Furthermore, she became the first female Presiding Judge for Marin’s Superior Court when appointed to that bench by former Governor Gray Davis in 1999.

Once she completed her undergraduate studies at Kutztown University, she went on to coach college softball in the Bronx for one year before taking over Saint Joseph’s team that won four Atlantic 10 contests under her guidance. Later at Fordham University where her 2013 squad won 37 games and qualified for tournament play.

Her greatest achievement in life was raising Zaria with Christian values instilled into her. She enjoyed gardening, riding her lawn mower and crocheting.

Personal Life

Verna Adams remains selfless despite suffering from both rheumatoid arthritis and multiple cancers, attributing her miracles to God alone. She leaves many friends and family behind who cherish and will miss her greatly.

She has written numerous journal articles and books on linguistics. These works cover sociolinguistics, pragmatics and discourse analysis among other fields of specialization.

She currently sits as a judge with the Marin County Superior Court, has served on the Manor House board of trustees and hospice programs, has several grandchildren and great-grandchildren and enjoys volunteering her time.

Net Worth

Verna Adams has remained out of the public eye since retiring from acting in the late ’60s, though she amassed considerable wealth during her acting career – playing roles such as Sarah Belding in “High Plains Drifter” and Mary, Mother of Jesus in “The Last Temptation of Christ”. Additionally, Adams served as an esteemed judge on Marin County Superior Court and co-founded Integrative Mediation Bay Area for family law mediation services; her net worth currently is estimated to be over $9 Million.