Hester A. Mercer, 94
Hester A. Mercer passed away on Saturday, July 25, 2009, at the Springs at Whitefish in Whitefish. She lived a rich and full life of 94 years. Hester was born on July 3, 1915, in Earlville, N.Y. She was the fourth of five children raised by Vance and Benna (Vincent) Avery.
Her father owned the town hardware and was the fire chief. Her mother was a former teacher and Hester developed, early on, a very strong work ethic.
After graduation from high school, Hester attended Rochester Institute of Technology and graduated from there with high honors.
Hester's first job was in the retail business, working at J.N. Adams Department Store in Buffalo, N.Y., where she met her future husband, Eric, a wild and handsome Irishman.
The job of which she was most proud was that of an itinerant teacher hired through the University of Alabama. She thought that a Yankee female traveling around a state in the deep south prior to World War II was quite unusual and most interesting. Eric followed her south and they were married on Sept. 3, 1938, in Meridian, Miss.
Eric and Hester returned north and lived in Buffalo, N.Y. Son, Douglas, and daughter, Sandee, were born by the time World War II broke out. Eric wanted to join the Army and fight to keep Europe free, but the U.S. hadn't entered the war yet. Eric walked across the Peace Bridge into Canada and joined the Canadian Army, becoming an officer by war's end.
Hester and the children returned to Earlville to live with her parents during the war. A second son, Michael, was born during those years. After the war, Eric joined the U.S. Army National Guard and was later in the Army Reserves where he attained the rank of colonel.
Upon retirement, Eric and Hester were able to travel to Eric's birthplace in Northern Ireland and other European countries several times. Those were their golden years.
The family lived in Niagara Falls, N.Y., State College, Pa., Orimsky, Ontario, and finally, Tampa and Winter Park, Fla. Hester worked for the city of Orlando before she retired.
Hester was a very clever woman and an excellent seamstress. She won numerous sewing contests in her early years and "was proud until the end of her closet was full" of homemade garments.
Hester was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Colonial Dames.
Hester lost her beloved Eric on Jan. 27, 1985. She maintained her home in Winter Park, Fla., until 2006 when she moved to Montana for health reasons and to be closer to her daughter. She loved the rugged beauty of the Northwest, but always missed the warmth of the sunny south.
Hester was preceded in death by her husband, Eric; her parents, Benna and Vance Avery; a brother, Eldridge; and a sister, Jean.
Hester is survived by her son, Douglas Mercer, of Mission Viejo, Calif.; daughter, Sandee Rogers, and husband, James, of Bigfork; son, Michael Mercer, and wife, Michelle, of Upland, Calif.; two sisters, Eileen Liddle of Demar, N.Y., and Wilma Washburn of Hamilton, N.Y.; grandchildren, Shannon, Heather, Kimberly, Karen, Courtney, Casey and Brandon; and 15 great-grandchildren, all of California, Florida and Arizona.
Hester "will return from Montana to Winter Park" for interment at Palm Cemetery in Winter Park.
There will be a visitation from noon to 1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3, at Collision Funeral Home, 3806 Howell Branch Road, in Winter Park, Fla. Graveside services for Hester will follow at 1:30 p.m. at Palm Cemetery.
Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for Hester's family locally, and Collison Funeral Home in Winter Park is caring for Hester's family in Florida. You are invited to go to www.jgfuneralhome.com to offer condolences and sign Hester's guest book.