Born in Magdeburg, Germany on May 27, 1935, the only child of the late Bernhard and Ella (Nabel) Schrader, Edeltraud crossed the great divide of her mortality, transcendence, and the mystery of existence presumably from colon cancer on April 11, 2024, at the age of 88 years, 10 Months, and 15 days.

After many months of an optimistic obstinate approach to self-healing, Edeltraud quietly passed away wrapped in the nurturing and devoted arms of her treasured husband William in their Rancho Sahuarita home.  She is survived by her five adult children, Thomas, Connie, Iris, Jason, Alexandra, and all her delightful grand and great grandchildren that came to know her as Oma (German for Grandma).

Edeltraud led a long and extraordinary life filled with personal challenges that are nearly incomprehensible in this day and age. As a child she witnessed the firsthand trauma of the Second World War upon the civilian population and was an adolescent in the Soviet controlled dictatorship of the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) after WWII ended. As an exceptionally spirited, astute, bright and willful young woman, she decidedly took control of her destiny at 18 years of age. Making the hard decision to leave everything behind and start over, she fled the GDR to West Berlin eight years before the Berlin Wall was erected on August 13, 1961.

Her refugee status led her to West Germany, where she later met and married a U.S. Army soldier stationed there. Together they relocated to the United States and had three children. Edeltraud earned a hard sought after bachelor's degree in languages from Purdue University and her U.S. citizenship. Years later, she met and married her second husband, who became a U.S. Air Force Aerial Navigator and Officer, and they had one child together.

Destiny and the U.S. military brought Edeltraud and family back to West Berlin, where she later met and married her third and final husband, a U.S. Army soldier serving in the American occupied sector of West Berlin, and they had one child together. Lovestruck for 43-years, they remained each other's own Schatz (German for treasure).

By trade, Edeltraud was an educator. She was a German language teacher for the University of Maryland in Europe and worked as a contract instructor for the U.S. Army, Berlin Brigade, teaching newly arrived enlisted soldiers the basics for getting by as an American living in Germany. Her favorite part of this job was guiding the historical East/West Berlin sightseeing bus tour on the final day of class.

Throughout all her travels, trials and tribulations, Edeltraud always held an authentic and loving attachment to Germany and its traditional Capital City of Berlin, often referring proudly to President John F. Kennedy's famous Cold War speech "Ich bin ein Berliner!"

Edeltraud's cremation has taken place and a private family gathering to reminisce and celebrate her life will be later this year at the appropriate time and location where family and guests can come together, united in spirit and love, to share their final farewells.

From our Family:

For all the compassionate support and professional attention to detail during this devastating event, our heartfelt thanks and most sincere appreciation wholeheartedly goes out to the Green Valley Mortuary & Cemetery, Funeral Director Katie Corso, a true professional!