Mass of Christian Burial for Ann Susanna (Arendt) Herr, age 90 of Muenster, was held at 10:00 AM Friday, April 25, 2014 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Muenster with Rev. Ken Robinson officiating. Burial followed in Sacred Heart Cemetery under the direction of Scott Funeral Home Muenster. A Rosary/Vigil was held at 7:00 PM Thursday, April 24, 2014 at the funeral home in Muenster. Mrs. Herr died Friday, April 18, 2014 in Muenster.
Ann was born September 10, 1923 to Paul and Susie (Neu) Arendt in Lindsay, TX. She attended school at Lindsay. She attended school through the 8th grade. It was at this time, when Ann was 14, that her mother a suffered a stroke. Ann stayed at home to help take care of her 7 younger brothers and sisters, never being able to finish high school as it took years for her mother to regain use of her affected side.
In her late teens, Ann worked as a nanny and housekeeper for several different families, often when the mother was recuperating from the birth of a child. In her early twenties, she worked as a salesclerk at JC Penney in downtown Gainesville and even modeled hosiery in the store window as this was a very popular item for the ladies of the day.
Ann married the love of her life, Albert Otto Herr, better known to most as Buster. They moved into the home at 206 West 7th Street in Muenster after their honeymoon and remained there, never living in another house.
She was a very devoted and loving mother to her children, volunteering as a Blue Bird leader, almost yearly room mother, was active in 4-H, Catholic Daughters and the Saint Anne Society. She enjoyed letting neighborhood children and cousins visit. She always fixed treats for them, but some of the favorites were homemade lemonade and homemade cookies or popcorn balls. At Christmas, she made her famous divinity and shared it with neighbors, friends and relatives.
Ann and Buster loved the outdoors; they took the family camping, pecan picking, fishing, and on numerous outdoor picnics. Ann was a great seamstress and made almost all of the girls' clothes until they were in high school. She was an avid gardener of both vegetables and flowers. She loved iris and would exchange with neighbors and friends, cultivating a rainbow of colors, some of which are still alive and thriving today. Ann and Buster raised laying hens and always had plenty of fresh eggs on hand. She allowed her children numerous pets over the years including the typical cats and dogs, but also birds, turtles, rabbits, pigeons, and fish.
Family was always her top priority. She was a stay-at-home mom until her children were older and could stay by themselves, but still only worked Saturdays at Tony Luke's Ben Franklin Store so that she could be available for her children during the week. She took a job at the Muenster Independent School as a study hall monitor only because it allowed her days and hours that her children were in school and did not take away from family time.
Ann will be missed dearly but she is now reunited with Buster in heaven.
She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Marlene and Gary Fisher of Muenster; her sisters: Lou Voth of Muenster, LuElla Zimmerer of Lindsay, Marie Metzler of Gainesville, and Joanie Bauer of La Ferria; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Albert "Buster" Herr, her daughters: Anna Marie Herr and Paula Reiter; her parents, Paul and Susie (Neu) Arendt, her brothers: Ernest, Ulrich, Andrew "Nick," Aloys, Paul, Arthur "Artie," Johnny, Patrick Arendt; and her sisters: Liss Hoberer and Flo Walterscheid. Pallbearers were: Danny Voth, Pat Walterscheid, Rudy Zimmerer, David Arendt, John Hoberer, and Mark Klement.