Edith Jeanette Sawyer

Edith Jeanette Sawyer, age 89, passed away peacefully in her sleep on March 26, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. Edith was born on October 1935 in Matawan, New Jersey, to her parents Emil & Doris Zahn. She graduated from Landon High School in Jacksonville, FL, Georgia Baptist School of Nursing in Atlanta, Georgia, Tift College (now Mercer University) in Atlanta, Georgia, with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). She later received her Master of Science (MS) degree in Guidance and Counseling from the University of South Florida in Tampa. She taught Nursing for over fifteen years at both the Gordon Keller School of Nursing & Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, FL.

After a six month whirlwind romance, she married the love of her life, the young First Lieutenant Paul E. Sawyer, US Army, on July 6th, 1963, at Southside Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. In November of 1965, she gave birth to their son, and only child, Sterling. She always said “She didn’t know what she was getting into as the wife of an Army Officer”. However, she easily adapted, and for the next 30 years, she excelled as a Christian Army wife and mother until her husband’s retirement from active duty in 1989. During that time she watched her son enlist in the Army and later become an officer also. After her husband’s retirement, she went on to be a full time Nanny for ten years to two twin girls, Elizabeth & Emily, in Crofton MD while her husband Paul worked in Washington DC at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In January 2000 they both “retired” to Killeen, Texas where she volunteered with the Red Cross in the Emergency Department at Darnall Army Hospital at Fort Hood. During that same time Edith also developed and started her own Ministry (Tower of God Ministry) where she wrote, developed & performed dramatizations of ‘Women of the Bible” in authentic costumes to both military chapels & civilian churches across the nation and in Germany. She also wrote religious poems and had two different books of them published.

Edith was a loving Christian wife to her husband Paul (U.S. Army Retired) and Mother to their son Sterling A. Sawyer (U.S. Army Retired) who still works for the Department of the Army as a civilian in Miami, Florida. She was a 42-year cancer survivor.

She is preceded in passing by her parents “Bud” & Doris Zahn, and her brother Donald Zahn.

She is survived by their son Sterling and his wife Lorie in Florida; her nieces, Deborah Wilkie and her husband Patrick in Florida, and Vivian Zahn in Missouri; and her nephew, Glenn Zahn in New York.

Edith was a member of: Southside Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, and various military post chapels; Officers Christian Fellowship; Protestant Women of the Chapel; Woodland West Church of Christ and Texas Masonic Retirement Center in Arlington TX. She was also a member of several female components of the Masonic Order to include: the Order of Eastern Star; Rainbow Girls; Daughters of the Nile; White Shrine; the Moslah Shrine Ladies in Ft Worth, Texas, and the Karem Shrine Ladies in Waco, Texas.

She enjoyed singing in general, and belonged to several church choirs. She loved singing Christian religious music, learning to sing “Jesus Loves Me” in multiple languages. She also enjoyed performing the Women of the Bible that she portrayed in her Ministry.

The family wants to thank the staff of the Texas Masonic Retirement Community for their compassionate care for Edith in her final days. Her warm smile and beautiful voice will be missed by the staff, friends and family.

Edith was known as a caring and gentle soul, Christian wife, Mother & friend to all, and we will miss her.

A visitation for Edith will be held Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 11:00 AM at Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home, 1615 South Fort Hood Road, Killeen, TX.

A funeral service will be Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 12:00 PM,at Crawford Bowers Funeral Home.

Burial will follow at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Edith's memory to Shriner's Children's Hospital,

Galveston, Texas. www.donate.lovetotherescue.org