Edna Senn Leistner, 105
Edna Leistner passed away on March 6, 2014.
Edna was born August 17, 1908, to Marie and Edmond Senn in Portland, Ore. She was second to youngest of seven girls and three boys. Her mother died when she was 8 years old. Her father was a sculpture artist who did the frescos at the San Francisco Palace of Fine Art. Edna's oldest sister, Marie (who was then 18), refused to move all the children as her father requested, so he left and they never saw him again. A family in Portland, the Folkenbergs, heard of a family of seven girls (the three boys died before age eight), and wanted to raise one of them. Marie would not let the baby go, so Edna said "I will." She had just been beaten for not drying the dishes well at a neighbors.
Mr. and Mrs. Folkenberg took Edna to Southern California, and there she grew up. She graduated high school at 16, entered nursing school at 17, and graduated at 20 with the only 100% on the Nursing State Board in her class.
Edna met her husband, Hugo, through her oldest sister, and they were married in 1930. They moved 22 times in 12 years because of his work. Edna and Hugo settled in Bellflower, Calif., three days after Pearl Harbor. She and Hugo had an acre of land which both hand spaded at night. During WWII they had 1,000 chickens, and Edna had an egg route.
Edna loved flowers and working in the garden. She had four knitting machines, and made all kinds of sweaters for her family. She loved to sew, crochet, play the organ, can fruits and vegetables, and make jam and jelly. At Christmas, Edna would make at least 12 different kinds of cookies. She was a Girl Scout leader and involved in the garden club, all while she continued nursing 'special duty,' hospital, and doctor's nurse.
Edna and Hugo moved to Paradise, Calif., when Hugo retired. There, they built a home, and Edna continued gardening and all of her hobbies. She worked at Feather River Hospital in Paradise, returning as the head of nursing. She and Hugo loved to hike and travel, and they loved their family. In 2004, they moved to Coeur d'Alene to be near their daughter.
Edna was preceded in death by Hugo, her husband of 72 years; foster parents, the Folkenbergs; five sisters, and two brothers. She is survived by son, Merle Leistner (Carol), in Fresno, Calif., and daughter, Janis Linnell (Lyle), in Coeur d'Alene; six grandchildren: Sharon (Richard) Fish, of San Francisco, Calif., Kathleen (David) Zanatti, of McKinney, TX, Charles (Karin) Leistner, of Las Vegas, Nev., Daniel (Kathy) Leistner, of Kingsberg, Calif., Beth Leistner, of Sacramento, Calif., and Kathy Leistner (Link); six great grandchildren; and her youngest sister, Winnifred Senn, of Walnut Creek, Calif.
Edna credited her long life to hard work, hiding, good food, and traveling. There will be no services, at her request