Edna J. Holdridge

March 14, 1929 - September 19, 2016

Edna Holdridge was born in Mt. Vernon, New York on March 14, 1929. She had a sister Betty and an only child, her daughter Chris. Edna’s mother also lived with her and Chris throughout Chris’ growing up years. Edna was divorced when Chris was two years old, and so it for many years it was just the three of them, Edna, Chris and Edna’s mother. Edna worked in cotton mills and sewing factories to support the family. They moved to New Jersey in 1960, where Chris started school. Edna was raised in the Lutheran Church, but experienced a salvation experience and baptism in the Holy Spirit around 1967. She enjoyed children and was involved in a “bus ministry”. They would pick up children in a bus, whose parents had agreed to let them come to Sunday School, but wouldn’t come themselves. Edna enjoyed using her puppets to entertain the children on the bus as well as in the classroom. One of the favorites was a dog named “Ruff”. In 1993 Edna moved to Corvallis Oregon to be closer to her daughter Chris, who was now an adult living there already. While in Corvallis, she became a member of Westside Community Church, where she continued to assist in children’s Sunday School classes. Edna spent the last three years of her life in Albany at the Cambridge Terrace Retirement and Assisted Living Community. Edna had a number of hobbies. She enjoyed knitting and doing crochet. After being introduced to the craft of “plastic canvas”, she was at first reluctant, but it soon it became her passion. A number of the crafts Edna completed were in her home, but many were given away to others, some were even sent back to family. She had some large “Winnie the Pooh” characters, a picture of the last supper, tissue box covers and many other creations decorating her home. One of Edna’s favorite songs was: “In the Garden”. A favorite poem was “Footprints in the Sand” .