Anne Ehrhardt

Memorial services for Anne Ehrhardt will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, October 21, 2011 at First Presbyterian Church.  Rev. Dwight Netzer will officiate.  Visitation will be from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Thursday, October 20, 2011 at Bayview/Freeborn Funeral Home and one hour prior to the service at the church.  

Anne died peacefully Friday, October 14, 2011 at her home. 

Anne was born in Waterloo, Iowa on April 10, 1927 to Ronald and Pat (Perrin) Reed.  She has one sister, Margaret of Santa Barbara, California with whom she was very close.  Anne graduated from Waterloo High School in 1945 and spent her freshman year at Carlton College, where she met George Ehrhardt.  He first saw her perform as Mrs. Antrobus in Skin of Our Teeth.  Anne’s father died during her freshman year of College.  She returned to Iowa, graduating from the University of Iowa with a degree in English.  Anne had a passionate interest in drama and appeared in numerous college productions.  She was a member of the Delta Gamma Sorority.  After graduation she taught grade school in Vinton, Iowa for one year.  On August 12, 1950 (after a four year acquaintance) she married George Ehrhardt, and they settled in Albert Lea.  Anne was outgoing, kind and funny.  She was a good downhill skier.  Though she did not love to camp, she did it cheerfully taking numerous week long canoe trips to northern Minnesota with the entire family.  She met and kept many close, endearing friends and loved to talk about theater, books, movies and the English language with insight and wit.  She was a wonderful letter writer, loved Masterpiece Theater, and spent many nights directing plays (or appearing in them) at Albert Lea Community Theater.  She was a founding member of Albert Lea Community Theater and was on the board for many years, she acted in numerous roles, directed plays, worked behind the scenes and in the 1990’s managed the Civic Theater for the City of Albert Lea.  Anne had five children and seven grandchildren who she loved greatly, sharing in their enthusiasms, listening to their heartbreaks and advising them on life’s quandaries, while all the time making wonderful meals from her kitchen.  She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, PEO, played bridge, and would grudgingly take care of George’s farm animals when he went away on trips. 

Anne raised her family, made close and dear friends, and engaged in her community from the same rural address for 55 years. She will be so missed.

Anne is survived by her husband, George; sons, Peter (Kathy) of Kenai, Alaska, Tom of Albert Lea, and Mac (Sophie) of Albert Lea; daughters, Anne Todd Wilbur (Tom) of Mound, Minnesota, and Margaret of Albert Lea; grandchildren, Britt, Reed, and Kristen Ehrhardt,  Dylan Wilbur, Andy Ehrhardt, and Isabel and Sam Ehrhardt; and sister, Margaret Finch of Santa Barbara.  She will also be so fondly remembered by her many nieces and nephews. 

She was preceded in death by her parents and her cousin Mac who was killed in WWII. 

Memorials  are suggested to Albert Lea Community Theater, Mayo Health System Hospice or First Presbyterian Church of Albert Lea.