Friends and co-workers, former owners of Old Vienna Restaurant in Ventura.

In  1983 Gerda stepped into our restaurant, applying for a server Job. In need of workers, Gerda was just perfect for the position.
It did not take long  for Gerda to also become a close friend.

Chef Hans was always relieved to see Gerda, because he knew the front would be in good hands and well taken care of.  Needless to say Gerda had  lot of customers asking for her special service.

After her husband, Ludwig, passed away, Gerda left the restaurant to spend more time with her family business.  

As a personal note:
Our daughter, Claudia, had to see the same orthodontist as Marion and  Peter.   Also, on Gerda's recommendation, Claudia chose USC!!!
Gerda also gave Hans a Saint Christopher keychain that he savors to this day.

We always had a very close relationship "40 years".   Gerda will be dearly missed.

Love, Hans and Toni

She had a great heart and selfless spirit. She will be missed.

Gerda was one of my longest and best friends and so was her husband, Ludwig. I was an International Freight Forwarder Consultant and   I will never forget when Ludwig and Gerda stood before my desk saying that they heard I handled international shipments This was the start of not only a business relationship but a wonderful personal friendship. Then came the evening when Ludwig and I were saying goodnight at 10:00 pm at the conclusion of a business phone call. I said that I would call in the morning with more details. This was not meant to be. Ludwig had passed away in the quiet of the night. After Ludwig's  passing Marion left her prominent Chicago banking position and returned to California to support Gerda and take over the business. She was so outstandingly capable that I mentioned to her once that she could be a Freight Forwarding Consultant extraordinaire.

When I visited them with a colleague, Peter showed us his garden where he  had grown the most beautiful tomatoes I ever saw. Years later, Marion grew Monarch butterflies!

Gerda loved her days in Albuquerque where the family watched the internationally famous annual launching of hot air balloons.

Now Gerda, one of my best friends, has joined Ludwig in a place of eternal glory. May they both rest in peace.  🕊

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Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks-Griffin Memorial Park, Mortuary & Crematory

Gerda Schnarz

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OBITUARY

Gerda Anneliese Schnarz

August 12, 1936 – October 26, 2026

Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks-Griffin Memorial Park, Mortuary & Crematory

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