Obituary for Edna Berger

Edna Mae Berger, 93, of Ponca City, Oklahoma was born on November 13, 1921 near Mulhall, Oklahoma to Charles Eavenson and Bertha Kincaid Eavenson. She passed away on January 26, 2015 in Ponca City, Oklahoma.

Edna Mae attended Mulhall Schools where she was Valedictorian of both her Eighth Grade and Senior Class. She was a talented pianist and was in many operettas in Senior High School. Edna Mae also played with the Mulhall Band as both a clarinetist and percussionist, and played ‘Center’ on the Girls Basketball Team. She attended Central State Teacher’s College in Edmond, Oklahoma. Edna Mae studied to be a high school Home Economics Teacher. While in college, she sang in the Girls Glee Club and was a member of Tau Theta Kappa Social Club. She also served as Rush Captain for the club.

Edna Mae married Ivan Berger on July 5, 1941 in Mulhall, Oklahoma. During World War II, she and daughter, Linda, lived in Monterey, California for 9 of the 18 months Ivan was stationed at Fort Ord. She was a life-long member of the Methodist Church, and enjoyed traveling, photography, and Orchestra Concerts. Her favorite concerts were ones in which her daughter and grandchildren participated.

Edna Mae loved growing all kinds of flowers. She and Ivan were both very involved with the American Rose Society in local, state and district levels. She spent many hours writing for the Ponca City Rose Society and as a contributor to the ARS annual book on new roses called ‘Proof of the Pudding’.

She and Ivan enjoyed grooming roses for competition at rose shows at the local, state and district levels. Special awards include: the J. Horace McFarland Award, multiple times, American Rose Society ‘Consulting Rosarian’ and ‘Life Consulting Rosarian’ from the South Central District of the American Rose Society. She was an accredited rose show judge at the state, district, and national levels. She was honored with a ‘Master Judge’ designation. She also qualified as a judge for Garden Club shows. Edna Mae was well-known for her knowledge of ‘Miniature Roses’. She was the favorite judge for the ‘Arrangements Section’ and ‘Miniature Sections’ at rose shows. She was often asked to do demonstrations on arrangements involving miniature roses. Her memberships include Charter Member of the ‘Miniature Rose Society’, the American Rose Society, the Ponca City Rose Society and African Violet Society of America.

Edna Mae will also be remembered by her family for her love of genealogy. She spent many years and countless hours searching back through the generations to put us in touch with our ancestors.

Edna Mae leaves behind, daughters, Linda Berger of Tulsa, and Diane Berger of Edmond; grandson, Corbin Grimsley of Ft. Worth, Texas; and granddaughter, April Broome and husband Phil Broome of Arvada, Colorado, and great-granddaughters, Melodie Sierra Broome and Camille Cheyenne Broome.

She leaves behind sister-in-law, Norma Eavenson, Cleo Kudlac, Pauline Meyer, Janice Meyer, Darlene Meyer, brother-in-law, Donald Meyer and nieces, Brenda Goin, Sharon Keeler, Shirley Doughty, Kathie Norman and Melain Eavenson.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers, Morgan Eavenson and Bruce Eavenson, sister, Marda Taylor, sisters-in-law, Mildred Linden, Vivian Smith, and Irma Trompler, brothers-in-law Doyle, Dale, Cecil Meyer and Tom Taylor.

Services will be held on Monday, February 2nd at 2:00 PM at the United Methodist Church in Mulhall, Oklahoma. She will be laid to rest in Rose Lawn Cemetery just east of Mulhall. Arrangements are under the direction of Trout Funeral Home & Crematory.

Source: Trout Funeral Home