Edna Traweek Obituary
Edna Mae Lewis Traweek
9 April 1920 - 16 January 2021
The second of seven children, Edna Mae Lewis Traweek was born 9 April 1920 in Blanchard, Oklahoma, and died peacefully at 100 on 16 January 2021 in Los Angeles. She chose to live independently and with resilience until the last year of her life when declining strength meant she needed assistance. Her mother Eula Elizabeth Mooney Lewis (31 Dec 1893-26 Nov 1974) was born near Ardmore in what is now Oklahoma; her father Vilas Ernest Lewis (26 Mar 1889-14 Oct 1959) was born in Paris, Texas. Three of her grandparents were born in Texas; earlier generations were from Tennessee and Virginia. Edna was raised in Oklahoma City; following family tradition she moved west in 1939, driving on Route 66 with cousins and friends to Pismo Beach, avoiding the California border police by taking a detour through the Mojave Desert.
She and the late Sherman Victor Traweek (11 Nov 1917-28 Mar 1997) were married 1941-1966. While her children were young Edna was active in various community organizations; she then worked at Standard Oil and Stanford University before becoming a successful real estate agent and then retiring at 85 to Palm Desert. She lived a long, active, resourceful, and full life while residing in the Los Angeles area, Palo Alto, Idyllwild (1980-2006), and Palm Desert (2006-2020). She enjoyed socializing, exploring, reading, discussing family history, and collecting the work of local artists in many media. She traveled widely in the US southwest, toured Europe solo in the 1960s, visited Mexico often, and went to Japan in her 70s. Her family struggled during the Great Depression when her parents became activists; throughout her life Edna remained concerned about the poor, disadvantaged, and migrants, while troubled by those who did not. She made sure to vote in the 2020 primary.
Edna was the mother of Sharon Jean Traweek and the late Richard Wayne Traweek (28 Mar 1944-26 Oct 2009). She also is survived by Richard's widow Victoria Lynn Getz Traweek and their three children (Victoria Ashley, Christopher Buckley, and Travis Houston), plus Edna's great-grandson Jack (born 2014), all of Los Angeles. Edna always was close to her niece Mary Lorene Williams Nichols of Palo Alto, CA (daughter of Edna's elder sister Oma Lorena Lewis Williams, 26 Oct 1916-20 April 1980), Mary's two daughters (Valerie Elnora Nichols Sabbag and Michelle Marie Nichols Bourke), and Mary's five grandchildren (Elise and Talia Sabbag along with Stella, Conall, and Rory Bourke). Edna is survived too by Mary's four siblings (Gayle Wagaman, plus Dale, Joseph, and Wilson Williams) and their families, as well as the partners, children, and grandchildren of her late brothers Vilas George Lewis (19 April 1930-8 Dec 2010), Clifford Burnice Lewis (9 May 1924-22 Nov 2005), Raymond Cecil Lewis (1921-2002), and Donald Lee Lewis (1936-2006). She had decades-long friendships with Cathy Banner Newman and Lynette Walker, among several others. Edna's ashes will be placed at the graves of her parents and her beloved baby brother Kenneth Wayne (10 Mar 1933-4 Aug 1934) in Oklahoma which she always called home.
Published by The Desert Sun from Mar. 1 to Mar. 4, 2021.