Erna Arlene Himsl

Erna Arlene Reichenbach Himsl was born to Lillie and Ernest Reichenbach in Billings, Montana on March 1, 1939. There never was a more beautiful girl born. She was raised under the big skies of Montana with her five siblings, Victor, Dennis, Bud, Ron, and Linda who share the sorrow of her passing. When Erna was fourteen her life changed. She met a blonde-haired, blue-eyed heart throb named Bernard Himsl. Their destiny was written in the stars that they counted each night going steady, as they sat in a ditch at North Park.

Erna married the love of her life on September 29, 1957, starting her journey as a military spouse of over forty years. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would travel the world and these United States. Wherever she traveled, she made it Home, places like California, Utah, Texas, Montana, New York, Idaho, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Arizona, Spain, and Germany. She traveled to the Rock of Gibraltar, Morrocco, Mexico, Ireland, Scotland, Portugal, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Wherever she landed, she made fast friends with her bright personality and love of life. No matter the challenges she faced in new settings, she lived by the motto of "tell it like it is" and found that people gravitated to her, wanting to be her friend. She was, indeed, successful in making each new journey one to remember with fondness.

It was not long before Erna found herself a mom, an endearment that fit her perfectly. Her and Bernard's love blessed them with four boys and a girl. No child ever had a better, more perfect mom. Often alone to raise her rowdy Himsl crew, due to Bernard's deployments to Vietnam, Taiwan and long term temporary duty assignments, she instilled the love, patience and discipline that would lead all children to successful lives and careers.

Although Erna managed her own "career path" as a Soda Jerk, Domestic Ranch Manager, Chef, and Greeting Card Corp. Manager, she always felt her greatest accomplishment was that of "mom."

Beyond being mom, Erna was the ultimate grandma, great-grandma, and lover of pets. She was known to travel great distances to visit her grandchildren in five separate locations, traveling as far as Alaska and Germany. Known for her love of craziness and fun, her legacy of glitter and confetti in birthday cards will remain in the hearts of those she left behind.

She had no greater joy than being a grandma with an endless supply of money to go shopping. She spoiled all her grandchildren and kicked it into hyper-mode with her great grands. Not to be left out, Erna was a lover of animals ... all animals. Having owned her own cow as a 4-H member as a youth and raising a wolf dog, she understood the importance of raising her family with animals. The kids learned to love Opie and Napoleon, two dogs that survived the shenanigans and love of five children. And if dogs were not enough, there were Peep the Pigeon and Charlie the Duck who came to love their human mommy unconditionally. It was never a surprise to find Erna cooking specifically for a grand or great-grand dog who happened to be visiting her. Her birds, everywhere she lived, were her biggest fans. She knew every type and every sound they made.

Erna A. Himsl was the ultimate wife, mother, and friend, and philanthropist. There was no greater champion for living life to the fullest than Erna. She loved not only volunteering at her children's schools, but with NCO Wives Clubs, Athletic Boosters and giving at local Homeless and Food Shelters. There was never a Thanksgiving that she did not buy full meals for those less fortunate than herself. You could often catch Erna passing out stuffed animals to children in the neighborhood, or volunteering to babysit if needed. In later life, caregivers marveled at her gift of giving.

Anyone whomever met Erna soon learned that she loved to shop; something she could not do early in life due to the size of her family and it's needs. She never turned down a "shopping" invitation. Through this endeavor, she accumulated over two hundred rare wall masks, six hundred hedgehog statues, decorative eggs from around the world, and her unique collection Don Quixote figurines. She was a lover of singing holiday stuffed animals, beanie babies and anything that looked "cute." She gifted her family with Hallmark ornaments every year, leaving each member of her family with filled trees every year to remember her by.

Erna Himsl was a true believer in romance; she was a reader of thousands of books on the subject as she was an avid reader. Perhaps, at the age of fourteen, this is why she found her greatest love to be Bernie Himsl. Erna's love for her husband was immeasurable. In their first meeting, she struck him out in baseball, despite him being an excellent player. He was smitten, and she knew he was the one for her. Together for seventy-two years, they traveled the world making lasting memories. Dedicated to her husband, she learned to spoil him with his favorite food dishes, spending time dancing in the kitchen to music only they could hear, and loving quiet moments alone. They loved late night movies and reminiscing of days gone by. Their marriage was the model that guided their children's marriages. When the end was near for Erna, Bernie whispered he loved her as she passed peacefully from this world.

Erna is survived by her children, Mark & (Sandy), Chris & (Marilyn), Vikki & (Keith), Mike & (Carolyn) and Susan & (David K). (Waiting in Heaven, her eldest son, David.) Her grandchildren; Lily, Lucy, Max, Chelsea, Kyle, Brittney, Tanner, Samantha, Zack and Micaela. Their spouses; Conrad, Shawna, Brian, Amylynn, and Joseph. Her little joys and great-grandchildren; Ellie, Ronan, Finn, Kensington, and Holden. Her loving siblings, in-laws and spouses and numerous cousins across the United States.

A Celebration of Life is planned for March 2026, updates to follow.

In Lieu of Flowers, please donate to the following organizations:

St. Mary's Food Bank of Arizona

Hospice of the Valley

National Kidney Foundation