Edna Springer

Edna Frantz Springer, the oldest Naples (Fla.) Player, exited life's stage May 17, 2008, at the age of 101. A resident of Naples since 1963, she died peacefully in her home at Tuscany Villa with the loving care of Avow Hospice.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Joseph.

Born in Reading on Nov. 24, 1906, she a daughter of the late Harry and Florence (Gable) Frantz.

After graduation from Reading High School, Edna attended New York University, Temple University, the University of Mexico and the University of Havana in Cuba. She held master's degrees in music and Spanish.

Edna taught for 30 years at Wyomissing High School and Alvernia College.

In 1976, the city of Reading gave her the “The Ideal Citizen Award” as an outstanding teacher, writer, world traveler, amateur actress and Peace Corps volunteer.

In her lifetime, Edna traveled extensively all over the world. In the 1930s she and her late husband, Joseph, traveled throughout the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Nova Scotia, Europe, South America and the West Indies. In 1964, she joined the Peace Corps and worked in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic for two years. Edna visited nearly 100 countries. She had been on an African safari, lived on a houseboat at the foot of the Himalayas, slept at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro and watched the midnight sun in Norway and Alaska.

At the age of 63, Edna joined the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club of Reading and was commended for covering 217 miles over the Appalachian Trail. She had gone white-water rafting in her older years and remained an active swimmer throughout her life.

She was an avid baseball fan and especially enjoyed watching the National League games on television.

Edna was a published writer. In 1948, she wrote a prize-winning historical page for a sesquicentennial, which is still being performed today. Edna's greatest passion was “the theater” and she continued to maintain an active role as a life member of the Naples Players. She was a talented actress and performed many roles all over the world. She appeared in “The Old Man and the Sea” and in 1956 brilliantly performed the role of the empress in a production of “Anastasia” in Havana.

She appeared in the Naples Players productions of “You Can't Take It With You,” “Oklahoma,” “Arsenic and Old Lace” and more. Edna created the Naples Players annual “Unsung Member Award.” A plaque hangs in the main lobby of the Sugden Theatre listing the winners. Her dedication and spirit lives on through her contributions to this fine local theater organization.

Edna was an active member of the Unity Church of Naples since 1983. Using gift annuities, she generously funded nationally known and Pennsylvania charities. She was a community-minded person and has contributed towards numerous worthy causes, including the “One Hundred Club,” which benefits first responders such as EMS, firefighters and law enforcement officers.

Talent, ambition, fortitude, feistiness, and a genuinely gracious demeanor were merely a few of the many qualities Edna possessed. Her presence will be missed and her spirit shall always live on in the hearts of those who knew her.

Edna is survived by her nephew, Robert D. (Margie) Frantz, Rochester, Minn.; two nieces, Doris Cooper, Denton, Texas, and Susan Roth, Reading; a great-nephew, Christopher Miles (Katherine) Frantz, St. Petersburg, Fla.; and a great-niece, Lauren Frantz, Boca Raton, Fla.

She was predeceased by her brothers, Howard and Leon Frantz.

Memorial services will be Friday at 3 p.m. in the Sugden Community Theatre, 701 Fifth Avenue South, Naples, FL 34102. Services in Reading will be announced.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Reading Musical Foundation. Fuller Funeral Home, Naples, Fla., is in charge of arrangements.