Edna R. Herzberg

A long and fruitful life has ended. Edna has now gone to be with Allen, her husband of 64 years, and all the other relatives and friends who predeceased her. Edna left us just hours before her 72nd wedding anniversary. Edna was born in Clanton, Alabama, the youngest of ten. Her mother died when she was two, and her father when she was six. She was reared by her older siblings, and lived with them in several different states. She graduated from Central High in Kansas City, MO where she met her future husband. After attending Kansas City Junior College, she transferred to the University of Colorado, in Boulder, which she loved. She graduated in 1935, the first woman in her family to get a college degree. Edna taught school in Leadville, Colorado, where she and the other single lady teachers lived in a hotel. No men were allowed on their floor. Edna loved Colorado, especially skiing and ice skating. She climbed Mount Elbert, the highest peak in the state, during this time.

Edna and Allen married immediately upon his graduation from West Point. They had a three month honeymoon, which they spent going from one of Edna’s siblings to the next on the “fried chicken circuit,” as they called it. Allen apparently ate enough fried chicken then to last the rest of his life. They also stayed with Allen’s parents in Colorado, where they often went mountain climbing. Edna thrived as an Air Force wife. Anne and Allen, Jr. were born before Allen Sr. went to England to lead a bomber group during WWII. Jim and Debby were part of the baby boom. One of Edna’s memorable trips was escorting her four children ages 1 to 10 and one-eyed dog Fritz from Denver to France, via train and ocean liner. Favorite posts included Wiesbaden, Germany; Essex Junction, Vermont; Maxwell AFB, Alabama; and Paris, France. Edna and Allen loved to travel, camp, and host family and friends at their lake house in Alabama. Edna and Allen retired to Nassau Bay, Texas. As Allen wrote, “After one hurricane too many we moved to higher ground in Austin, Texas, where, incidentally, our daughter Deb and her family live. “ Edna was a great joke teller, a devoted wife and mother, an exemplary mother-in-law and grandmother, a sharp bridge player, a wonderful cook, a tireless homemaker, a Girl Scout leader extraordinaire, an inveterate reader, and an enthusiastic volunteer in every community in which she lived. Debby is thankful that Edna chaperoned her and her friends to see the Beatles in Dallas in 1964, even though it required missing a day of school. Edna’s spirit continued to shine through her 90s, even when limited vision and memory issues were a problem. She attended church faithfully every Sunday until her final illness. She always walked to the front of the church to take communion and was an inspiration to all. Edna is survived by her children Anne Herzberg Adler, and husband Stephen of Moline, Illinois; Allen Herzberg, Lt. Col. (Ret.) of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Jim Herzberg of Katy; and Debby Loomis of Austin. She is survived by grandchildren Allen Herzberg, III and Jen of McLean, Virginia; Rebecca Adler of Austin; Eric Adler of Brooklyn, New York; Abby Loomis of San Francisco, California; Sam Loomis of Boston, Massachusetts; and Eliza Loomis of Austin. She is survived by great-grandchildren Grant and Lauren Herzberg of McLean. She is also survived by former son-in-law Tom Loomis of Austin, and many nephews and nieces. Edna was preceded in death by her husband Allen, all her siblings, and her granddaughter Molly Anne Loomis. Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family at half past ten o’clock in the morning, Saturday, the 18th of June at Northwest Hills United Methodist Church; 7050 Village Center Drive Austin TX 78731. Funeral Services will follow the visitation at eleven o’clock in the morning. Graveside services will be held at nine o’clock in the morning, Monday, the 20th of June at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery; 1520 Harry Wurzback Road San Antonio TX. Tributes may be made at www.cookwaldenfuneralhome.com