Frieda L. Herdey

Frieda L. Herdey, 92, a resident of the Peninsula for 33 years, died peacefully on March 26, 2010. She was born May 16, 1917 in Furth/Bayern, Germany, one of four children to Fritz and Helene Danner. She was of the Lutheran faith and belonged to the Methodist Church. As a youth she was an excellent gymnast,loved to ski and became a competitive tennis player. She had a beautiful voice and was a member of a choir. Her fondness for music and dance involved her in many social events. In her first job as an executive secretary working in Poland, she met and married Dr. Kurt Gennerich in 1939. They relocated to Kiel, Germany on the Baltic Sea, joining her husband's prominent father as a partner in his dermatology practice. Frieda, enjoying the challenge of the medical field, became a nurse, and was an integral part of caring for the many international patients even though the outbreak of the Second World War was imminent. During these difficult years and being occupied by British forces, Frieda raised two children, managed most of the family affairs and the medical practice. With the loss of the practice during wartime, a friend and former patient offered to sponsor Frieda and her family in immigrating to America to begin a new life in 1954. After a short time in New York, now divorced and alone, she was persuaded by a friend to move to Palo Alto, California and begin the process of obtaining custody of her children. There she met and married Henry Herdey. In 1959 Frieda finally was able to afford to appear in court in Germany to fight for the right to her children. In the end, the ruling was made that only her daughter Jutta, then age 15, could immigrate. Her son, Janner could not be sponsored until he reached age 21. Just as her new family was settling in California, her husband was offered a job with Georgia-Pacific Corp. in Beaverton, Oregon. There Frieda found a job in the library at Pacific University. Neighbors became acquainted with her daughter and found that she missed being by the ocean so they invited her to discover the Pacific Ocean at Klipsan Beach. There she made new friends and an extra set of grandparents in the Eberhardt family. In 1963 Frieda's son finally joined the family and the children returned to California. Her daughter was now married and expecting so Frieda often traveled back and forth between Oregon and California. Unfortunately her husband was diagnosed with cancer and Frieda cared for him until his death in 1973. With her daughter now a single parent living and working in Portland, Frieda was convinced to take early retirement and settle on the Peninsula in 1977 to be near friends, with many a visit from her daughter and grandson. In her years on the Peninsula Frieda became fond of clam digging, mushroom hunting and joined a garden club. She volunteered in medical emergencies and assisted friends when serious illnesses disabled them. In her circle of friends she enjoyed "kaffee klatches" and many a spirited card game. Frieda is survived by her daughter Jutta; grandson Kevin and his wife Shelby, and their children Konner, Kiera, & Kody; in Germany cousins Trudie Wich and Hans Bogensperger. Her son Janner Gennerich preceded her in death in 1997. Graveside service were held Thursday, April 8, 2010, 3:30 PM at Oysterville Cemetery. The family requests that in lieu of flowers memorials be made to REAL Care assisted living c/o Penttila's Chapel PO Box 417 Long Beach, WA 98631 It was there that in her final years Frieda was cared for, made comfortable and received excellent respite care. Arrangements are by Penttila's Chapel by The Sea, Long Beach.