Edna Wall

Edna Wall, long-time resident of Niceville, Florida, passed away on 13 May 2025 after a brief illness. Edna is predeceased by her devoted husband of 67 years, Harold (Hal) Wall, parents, Charles and Mary Lizzie Rehberg, stepmother Alma, brothers CJ and Freeman, and daughter-in-law, Sherry. Edna is survived by her sister Emma Dell Crew of Cairo, Georgia; beloved sons, Steve (Melissa), Andy (Pauline), and Tad (Patty); grandchildren Stephen Wall (Melissa), Heather Wall, Stephanie Snook (Derek), Dylan Wall, Amanda Wall; great-grandchildren Michael, Aiden, Kelan, Maranda, Mason, Dominic, Rowan, Casandra, Sadie, Sophie, and Drake. Edna was born on 2 December, 1933 in Cairo, Georgia. Her childhood was spent on her father's farm in Reno, Georgia where she learned the values of hard work and Christian morals which she would one day instill in her own children. From her farm years, she developed a quick wit and knack for telling stories, real-life tales that kept us in stitches, and her grandchildren would want repeated again and again. She left the farm to attend business school in Montgomery in 1951 when Hal Wall, a handsome airman but lousy dancer, fell head over foot (pun intended) for her. She liked Hal a lot but refused to date him until he learned to dance. He did, and on 11 May 1952, they married. As years passed, it was a union that only grew stronger, and surely in the afterlife, it goes on. People seldom talked of just one or the other. It was always Hal & Edna, or Mom & Dad, or Gammie & Papa. Always a "spitfire," she was the perfect compliment to the easy-going Hal. Neighbors and Hal's co-workers would enjoy their frequent cookouts or gatherings where Edna's fun-loving personality always made her the center of attention. A frequent topic of conversation was her boys, usually a source of pride when they were good, but when not she firmly believed in the adage, "Spare the rod, spoil the child." Her kids were the most well behaved in the neighborhood. She happily accepted the role of military wife and was always excited to experience the next destination. Her two sons, Steve and Andy, were born before their first move from Maxwell AFB, Alabama to Madrid Spain. It was a hard assignment to follow, but Edna came home with a few more tales to tell, then moved with Hal and the boys to Homestead AFB, Florida, then Stockholm, Sweden where Tad was born, followed by Nellis AFB, Nevada and back home to Cairo, Georgia with the boys while Hal served in Vietnam for a year. That was a miserable year for her and the boys, but being near her family brought a lot of comfort. After Hal's return from the war, Edna packed up and moved the bunch to San Angelo, Texas where they bought their first new home in 15 years. Sadly, pride in the new home only lasted a couple of years before the next assignment, Wheeler AFB, Hawaii. That was a tough one, but she stuck it out for 4 years through Steve & Andy's high school graduations, Steve's entry into and exit from college before his enlistment in the Air Force, Andy breaking his arm playing football and college days at Leeward, and even Tad being struck by lightning. Their final move was to Niceville, Florida in 1974 where Hal retired from the Air Force and began a civilian career at Eglin AFB. Edna was finally able to settle into a stable life in the home they would live in for the next 44 years. This was the place where Edna came to relish the role of Gammie to her grandchildren and great grandchildren, and they will always remember her playful spirit and big smiles in that Niceville home. After Hal's passing in 2018, Edna moved into the Hawthorn House in Shalimar where she came to know some great friends among the residents and staff and was truly blessed to have caregivers and attendants who loved her as family. God keep her, and let her go fishing again with Dad and catch the biggest catfish. Dad'll clean it.