Edna Louise Ehrhardt

In her early twenties, while working as a secretary for the Adjutant General School at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia she met her soon to be husband, Master Sgt. Clarence A. Ehrhardt, Jr. After just three months of dating, they married in Chattanooga, Tennessee on December 29, 1945.

After marriage, Edna and Clarence settled in New Orleans, Louisiana and began their family. They had three girls ... Cheryl Ann (Bill) Mebane, Sandra Marie (Larry) Taliancich, and Patricia Louise (Les) Wittman. Edna and Clarence enjoyed taking their girls to City Park for picnics, walking, biking, going on the rides at Kiddy Land, climbing the oak trees, gathering moss and feeding the ducks. They would also take their girls to Pontchartrain Beach (the amusement park along the lakefront) for picnics, swimming and riding many rides. Also, there were many trips to Manchac to throw out crab nets and fish off of the old bridge. There were countless summer trips, hosting of family barbecues in many places like the backyard, along the lakefront, on the lake's north shore and along the Gulf Coast. There were quite a few camping trips too. Edna would make costumes for the family and pack wonderful meals and then she and Clarence would take the girls to the Mardi Gras parades. Many a Sunday was spent walking through the French Quarter and watching the ships roll past on the Mississippi River. Edna was a scout leader for the girl scouts and she volunteered to supervise many grade school classes on field trips. Her never ending energy, her sense of humor, her smile and laugh and her loving heart followed her wherever she would go.

Edna loved gardening and would spend endless hours tending to her beautiful gardens and manicured landscaping. She loved to prepare wonderful home cooked meals and she also loved to bake. She was famous for her Spritz cookies at Christmas. Probably because she grew up on the farm, she always loved to surround herself with pets, and she would care for each and every one of them as if they were one of her own children. Over the years she had several dogs and cats and loved to provide the birds with seed and water. At one time or another there was even a chicken, a horned toad, a bird, multiple fish and a turtle on the premises!

In August of 2005, their long time home in Metairie, Louisiana was flooded during Hurricane Katrina. Edna and Clarence were in Austin, Texas vacationing and visiting family when the storm hit. They did not return home. Because two of their daughters resided in Austin, they decided to stay and set up their new residence. They enjoyed their new life together in Texas until the summer of 2007 when Clarence became ill with cancer and peacefully passed away in their apartment with Edna by his side. They were married sixty-one years and had a marriage that most people could only dream about. They were soul mates and truly lived a life filled with love, wonderful times and true happiness. Their three girls gave them the gifts of joy, pride and love.

Edna was blessed with three grandchildren, Brad (Christie) Taliancich, Stacy Taliancich, David (Kelly) Mebane, and nine great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Austin Humane Society, 124 West Anderson Lane, Austin, TX 78752.