Edna Lydia Mertz (nee Nickel), 103, of Ballwin, Mo, passed away peacefully at her home on Friday, September 12, 2025, just 3 days shy of her 104th birthday.

Edna was born in Des Peres, MO on the Nickel family farm (now West County Mall) to Adolph and Emma Hoehne Nickel on September 15, 1921. The family moved to "Stringtown", what is now Parkway West High School in Chesterfield, MO. Edna was the second child of 8 siblings, and the oldest of 7 sisters (Edna Mertz,Verna Beinke, Marie Parker, Helen Fink, Dorothy Ruby, Betty Mertz, Lillian Putman), affectionately known as "35 cents worth of Nickel Sisters". Her family farmed with mules, had no electricity or running water, raised their own food, made cheese & butter, butchered meat, and canned fruits and vegetables. The 7 girls shared two beds in one bedroom, giggled themselves to sleep, milked cows every morning and walked 2 miles to Trinity Lutheran Church on Clayton Road to attend the one room school through the 8th grade, picking up the neighbor farm boy -Edwin Mertz- along the way. Edna and Edwin were married August 4, 1945 during Edwin's Army furlough from Germany, and learned of the end of WW2 during their honeymoon. They built their home on the Mertz farm at Clayton and Henry Roads (Ballwin) and raised 3 children: Glenn (Holly), Denny (Valerie), and Janet (Paul) Graham. Edna was always active in women's church groups and sold life insurance into her late 70's, as her company's Top Producer! Edna loved traveling and was always ready for a party!

Edna is survived by her children: Glenn (Holly), Denny (Valerie), and Janet (Paul) Graham; grandchildren: Jon (Megan) Mertz, Beth (Luke) Sinak, Carol Mertz, and Brittani Owens, great-grandchildren: Isaac, Ava and Jude Sinak, Oliver Mertz; youngest sister Lillian (Ron) Putman, her nieces, nephews and many friends.

Services:  Visitation at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 500 Meramec Blvd, Eureka on Wednesday, 9/17/2025 from 9:30 a.m. until time of the service at 11:30 a.m.  A luncheon will follow immediately after the funeral at the church and a procession to the cemetery will leave at 2:15 p.m.  Interment St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery, Des Peres at 3:00 p.m. Memorial donations in lieu of flowers may be made to St. Mark's Lutheran Church .  As a service of the SCHRADER Funeral Home and Crematory, friends may sign the family's on-line guestbook at Schrader.com.