Edwina Lockhart Anderson, the last surviving child of Lemuel E. and Viola LeMaire Lockhart, was born the 6th of June in Beaumont, Texas, and died the 30th of July in Austin. Her brothers were Lem, John and Hugh Bland, her sisters, Irene Moore, wife of Forrest, and Miriam Pryor, wife of Newell. She will be buried from St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, where she was baptized.
Eddie grew up at 1511 Avenue A. She attended the old Ogden School, David Crockett Junior High and was 1932 graduate of Beaumont High School. She worked for Gulf States Utilities and, during the war, for the United States Army at Fort Hood and Galveston. In 1945 she married Frank C. Anderson, also a native of Beaumont and her longtime admirer. Frank worked for Gulf Oil in Houston where the Andersons lived until 1959, and where their daughters, Claire and Irene were born. The family then lived in London until 1966, where Frank worked for the Kuwait Oil Company. He retired from Gulf as comptroller of the company, and he and Edwina fulfilled a lifelong dream by establishing a cattle ranch in Burleson County. Edwina loved ranch life. She gardened, fished, and joined the altar guild at St. James Church, Rockdale. She appreciated the friendships she made in the area through the church, the book club and the bridge group.
Edwina and Frank traveled extensively through the years and she particularly loved the antiquities of Egypt and Italy. Always an avid card player, in retirement Edwina took up duplicate bridge and began working on a Lifetime Master’s.
After Frank’s death in 1997, Edwina lived with and cared for her sister, Miriam, first in Austin, later in Rockport until Miriam died in 2001. She has since lived in Austin, where she died peacefully at home.
The family particularly wants to thank Hospice Austin for their support in Edwina’s last months of life. Her final year at home would not have been possible without the skills and dedication of Dee Robinson, Carmelite Malivert, Enate Asmare, Marshelle Jackson, Brandi Shehan and many others. “Thank you, darling”.
Edwina is survived by her daughters, Claire and Irene; grandchildren, Chris Smartt of Dallas, Elias L. Anderson of Austin, and Rose Anderson Lewis of Austin; great grandchildren, Clara and Nathan Smartt, whose mother is Suzie, and Lockhart and Eli Anderson, whose mother is Jennifer. She also leaves behind her loving goddaughter and faithful steward Brenda B. Hemphill, two nephews, Forrest Moore of Houston and L. E. “Bud” Lockhart of Austin; a cousin, Lorene Barr of Santa Barbara, California and locally by her cousins, Mary Helen Johnson of Beaumont, and Alyce Marie Boudreau of Cheek. She is mourned by a circle of close friends; housemates, Taja Beekley, traveling companion Malissa Driggers, Patricia and Ivan Olenick, Sidney Monas, Ben LaRue and the Mersha-Mekonnen family.
Funeral services will be 10:00 A. M. Wednesday, August 3, 2005 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church with burial to follow at Magnolia Cemetery under the direction of Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin, Beaumont. A gathering of family and friends will be from 5:00 until 7:00 P. M. Tuesday, August 2, 2005 at the mortuary.