Edna Hertz

Edna Cecilia Hertz was born in Malvern, Iowa on June 12, 1907. She died on February 4, 2011, at the age of 103 years, 7 months, and 22 days at the Claremont Manor in Claremont, California.

Edna was the youngest of four brothers and one sister. Her parents, Karl August and Karalina (Paulson) Hertz, immigrated from Vadstena on Lake Vattern, Sweden in 1884, settling in the small farming community of Malvern in Southwest Iowa.

One of 24 students, Edna graduated from Malvern High School in 1924. She attended Stephens College for Women in Columbia, Missouri; Nebraska State Teachers College, Peru, Nebraska; and La Verne College in La Verne, California. She also attended Claremont Graduate University to work toward a school administrative position.

Edna taught elementary school in Iowa for 17 years. She moved to California in 1945 and taught fourth grade in Ontario, California. Edna lived in Claremont, California since 1964.

After 44 years in the education field, Edna retired in 1972. She served 18 years as an Elementary Administrative Principal in the El Camino Elementary School in Ontario, California. She remained in close contact with the schools and was always interested in learning about changes in the education field with students and educators.

Edna continued to be very busy in volunteer activities, including the Pomona Meals on Wheels for 27 years and as a Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Volunteer, accumulating 7,822 hours. The hospital nominated her as a Community Hero for the 2007 L.A. County Fair.

She was an active member of Pilgrim Congregational Church in Pomona, California, including the Women's Auxiliary. Edna was a member of an ongoing Bible study group and belonged to the Order of Eastern Star.

She was a staunch Lakers fan and rarely missed a televised game. She also watched baseball and on her 100th birthday some Pilgrims invited her to attend a Quakes game in Rancho Cucamonga; she was extremely pleased to see a birthday greeting presented on the large score board! She was very pleased to throw out the first ball.

Edna's brothers and families, Oscar and Eulah, Karl "Cully" and Edith, and Paul and Emily, and sister and husband, Minnie & Nels Nelson, moved to the communities of San Dimas, La Verne and Claremont in California. Her brother and family, Frank "Skinner" & Ethel, remained in Malvern, Iowa. The family enjoyed regular get-togethers, none more fun than those hosted by Edna. All family members remembered the Swedish grace that was repeated together for get-togethers. For many years the family gathered every Saturday morning at the bowling alley coffee shop at Garey and Foothill, in Pomona. No matter when she arrived, she was always served first!

The family would often gather at Knott's Berry Farm for a fried chicken dinner, so on her 100th birthday she invited the whole Hertz clan once again. Some 60 family members from all around California and the Midwest enjoyed the celebration.

Edna also stayed in touch with the Midwest families by sending and receiving a weekly fax. She would receive a fax on Saturday morning and share it over breakfast with family and friends.

Edna was a very positive person who never made a negative comment. She was a great friend to everyone who knew her. She always considered Malvern her home, last visiting in 2006, when she rode in the Homecoming Parade with some of her students and spoke at the dedication ceremony for the library addition. She commented on the importance of a community library, and how she was the only person in the crowd who was present for the original dedication held in 1916.

Edna was preceded in death by her parents; sister and husband; brothers and their wives; nephews and nieces; and other relatives.

Edna leaves behind four generations of nieces and nephews who will long remember their treasured experiences with Aunt Edna!

Memorials suggested to the Friends of the Malvern Public Library, 502 Main Street, P.O. Box 180, Malvern, IA 51551.