Vanita Remembers Her Mother

I think Aunt Sue prepared this in 2003 for a memorial service in Portland. She said Rose Valley Assisted Living, where Edith lived, had a service each month and also that she had a small gathering with her friends.

Mom Revised

Edith Dean was born on June 10, 1912, to Charles C. and Minnie Schroll Dean, at home in West Orange, New Jersey. She graduated from West Orange High School in 1928, and in 1929 started working for George Smith, a florist. She attended Montclair State Teacher's College (now Montclair University), and graduated cum laude on June 12, 1937, and became an English teacher.

On September 19, 1942, in St. Cloud Presbyterian Church, West Orange, she married Carl F. Klotz and acquired 3 children, Carl Hugo, Harold Allen, and Vanita, who is called Sue. Edith and Carl were married 25 years. In addition to her husband, both sons have pre-deceased her.

The family owned Klotz Florist on Greenbrook Road, North Plainfield, for over 50 years. Edith ran the flower shop and Carl managed the greenhouses and was a grower of seedling. After Carl's death, Edith sold the property on Greenbrook Road, rented a greenhouse in Metuchen, and continued to grow and sell seedlings. She lived on Homer Place, Metuchen, until January, 2003. Her health began to fail in 2002 and she moved to Oregon in January to be near her daughter. She had an apartment at Rose Valley Assisted Living in Scappoose, a small community north of Portland. She died of pneumonia in Portland, Oregon, on October 8, 2003 and is survived by her daughter, 3 granddaughters, and 7 great-grandchildren.

I should like to tell you a little about my mother.

I first met her when I was perhaps 8, and she often told me I was all "eyes and elbows." She and my father were engaged over a year before they married, but for several years before that we did many things as a family. On one memorable trip to New York City, Dad took the boys to a hockey game and Mother and I rode the open air, double-decker bus on Fifth Avenue. A low branch on a tree knocked Mom's hat off and it went flying, never to be seen again.

Mother recently told me that in High School she was the Debating Team. When competing at other high schools, they a yell, "Dean, Dean, Dean, Rah, Rah,Rah." She attended college during the Depression when money was in short supply. She said if she walked to the top of the hill, the bus cost 5 cents less. She often walked up that hill, because that 5 cents would buy her lunch the next day.

In 1939 and 1941, she and some of her fellow teachers drove West, one trip as far as California. In those days, it was more adventurous than today—no Interstate systems with the speeds of 65 or 75. She saw many sights in the Southwest, including the Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion National Parks in Utah, and Yosemite.

She was an excellent florist and businesswoman. She joined Pilot Club, an organization for women in business, in the 1950's, and served as an officer in several capacities. She was also elected a Regional Director, which provided her with the opportunity to travel to visit other clubs. She made many life-long friends in Pilot.

During the 1950's my parents often did demonstrations at Florist Telegraph Delivery (FTD) meetings. Mother would make various floral pieces, such as corsages and bouquets, and Dad would do the commentary. On other occasions, Mom would be the commentator and other florists would create the displays. They both loved doing these demos and were very good at it.

Another of Mom's talents was needlework. She embroidered many beautiful pictures in counted cross stitich and crewel. Each of her granddaughters will have one to remember her by. And what a seamstress she was! She made innumerable dresses, blouses, slacks and skirts for the girls, and shirts for the boys. She made almost all her own clothing. She loved bright colors and was a whiz at combining fabrics and colors to make attractive outfits. And every stitich was sewed on her old, straight-needle sewing machine bought in the 1940's.

She traveled several times to Europe, especially Switzerland and England, with a small group of fellow florists and growers. Because of their business interests, they were able to make "behind the scenes" visits to many gardens and greenhouses. She also enjoyed the food. One favorite experience was stopping at a small, country restaurant after lunch hour. the owner/chef invited them in and prepared a memorable lunch for the group.

She loved flowers. This spring, when she was living with us, the first thing every morning she'd check out our camellias. Spring comes early in Oregon, and she delighted in seeing all the flowers and trees blooming. Her favorite garden in Portland was the The Bishop's Close, the grounds of the Episcopal Bishop's offices. It's partly landscaped and partly wild, which is the part she like best. One sunny day, my Portland friends and I will go to the Bishop's Close and walk around and admire the planting, the views of the River and Mt. Hood, and remember the wonderful person who was my mother.