BRADING, Edna

BRADING, RIGGS, GENSON, MERRYMAN, SEAL, HERCHEL, RUSE, HAMMERS

Posted By: Cay Merryman (email)
Date: 10/31/2004 at 22:40:28

Edna Brading was born March 1, 1898 in Rawles Township, Mills County, Iowa; the youngest of three children born to Thomas and Sarah Catherine (Riggs) Brading. She attended school at Forest Grove County School, Tabor High, and Tabor College.

She moved to Tabor with her parents to a home on Center Street when she was in her teens. During World War I, she went to Chicago to train as a nurse at St. Lukes School of Nursing. The war ended before her training was completed and she returned to Tabor. In 1920 she met John E. Genson who had come to Tabor to manage the Hawkeye Lumber Company. They were married on February 22, 1922 at her home and moved, along with her father, to Lenox, Iowa where John had been transferred by his company. It was there that their daughter, Catherine, was born in 1925.

Two years later, they moved to Truro, Iowa where they had purchased a lumber business and lived there until 1943 when John's health forced him to sell the business. They lived in El Cajon, California; Bellingham, Washington; and in 1945 Oskaloosa and Fairfield in Iowa where they managed lumber companies. In 1948 they moved to Des Moines until 1976 when they moved to Fargo, North Dakota to be close to their daughter. John died there on March 28, 1980. The family all moved to St. George, Utah in 1987 and Edna died there November 1, 1990.

Edna was a member of the Highland Park Christian Church in Des Moines and the Eastern Star.

Survivors include her daughter and son-in-law, Catherine and Jack Merryman; grandchildren, Mrs. James (Janet) Parson of Maplewood, Minnesota, Mark(Carol) Merryman of Minneapolis, Minnesota and Kristin Merryman of Las Vegas, Nevada; great grandchildren, Jennifer Seal of West Lafayette, Indiana and Robert Seal of Bloomington, Indiana; niece Vesta (Herschel) Ruse of Tabor, Iowa and nephew, Cloid Hammers of Los Angeles, California. Edna was preceded in death by her parents; husband; brother, Robert Brading; sister, Elizabeth Hammers; and two nephews.