Edith Mary Duda

Edith Mary Duda

Resident of Concord

Edith Mary Duda passed away peacefully at home with family at her side, one month short of her 99th birthday. Edith was born on the North side of Chicago, IL to Lucille and Frederick W. Rohr II, attended St. Hilary School and Mallinckrodt High School; and earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from DePaul University. Edith served during WWII in the U.S. Navy as a WAVE Specialist 2nd Class Gunnery Instructor at Camp Shelton, Norfolk, VA.  In the post war years, she worked in Chicago in banking and business, and enjoyed her bicycle club and sailing with her brother on Lake Michigan. The sailing was fortuitous as it led to her meeting the love of her life and future husband Richard ("Dick") Duda.  They enjoyed sailing on Lake Michigan on Dick's sailboat the Esmeralda, and were married in Chicago on May 1, 1954. They later moved to sunny Orange County for a job transfer with sons Carl and Tim, settling in Fullerton, CA in 1961, where they later welcomed their daughter Dorothy.  Edith was a devoted and nurturing mother and homemaker, who along with her husband raised their three children while enjoying camping trips throughout the Western U.S., fishing, hiking, gardening, and numerous home improvement projects. Edith was an amazing seamstress her entire life; den mother for Cub Scouts for several years; active for 45 years at her local parish St. Juliana's in Fullerton; and she loved genealogy and uncovering long lost family history.  She loved taking cooking classes to learn new recipes, and her meatloaf and Christmas cookie recipes are now cherished by family. Edith was a member of the Orange County Rose Society and grew truly splendid roses and other plants including succulents and subtropical species.  Edith's biggest passion was for rocks and minerals, which led to many fun outings with her family and rock-hunting club,  "Steinjagerhunde." Even at the end of her life she could identify just about any rock or mineral you showed her. Dick passed away in 1995 and Edith spent several years in Fullerton with friends and neighbors before moving north in 2006 to the San Francisco Bay Area to spend her final 15 years in Concord, CA minutes away from her daughter's family. There she relished her nurturing, matriarchal role as "Grandma Edith" and enjoyed Sunday family dinners, holidays, and her granddaughters' many activities and school events.  She took pleasure in numerous fun activities at her retirement facility including sewing, book club, and craft projects.

Edith is survived by her children Carl of New York City; Tim (Nancy) of Pocasset, MA; and  Dorothy Duda-Waletzko (Ray) of Walnut Creek; granddaughters Anna and Madeleine Waletzko; sisters-in-law Dorothy Capek of Austin, TX, Barbara Duda of Atlanta, GA, and Jan Rohr of Winfield, IL; and many nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her husband of 40 years, Richard; and her brother Frederick W. Rohr III of Chicago, IL. In lieu of flowers, donations in her name may be made to the American Heart Association, the Nature Conservancy, or Salesian Missions. Burial at Loma Vista Memorial Park, Fullerton, CA.

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