Edna D. Wald, 84, of Thief River Falls, MN passed away on Monday, March 27, 2017 at Sanford Hospital in Fargo, ND with her loving family by her side.

Funeral service will be held 1:30 PM Monday April 3, 2017 at St Bernard's Catholic Church Thief River Falls, MN with Father Rick Lambert officiating. Burial will follow at St Bernard's Cemetery.  Visitation will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 on Monday April 3, 2017 at St Bernard's Catholic Church, Thief River Falls, MN. Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 2, 2017 from 2 – 4 PM with a 4:00 prayer service at Johnson Funeral Service.

Edna Donella Taylor was born January 21, 1933 in Thief Lake Township, near Middle River, MN the daughter of Richard and Gladys (Willey) Taylor.  Edna grew up in Thief Lake Township and attended school there as a child.  She was baptized into the Christian faith in the Nazareth Church in Holt, MN on May 29, 1936.  Edna attended Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls, MN where she graduated in 1950.  She then started working as a Telephone Operator for Northwestern Bell Telephone Company in Thief River Falls.

In 1952 she met Howard Jennings Collins.  The couple would marry on December 23, 1952.  From this marriage three children were born Marty, Trent and Rhonda.  Edna was an active member of the First Baptist Church in Thief River Falls where she taught Sunday School for 18 years, never missing a Sunday.  In 1966 she started working at the Chiropractic Office of Dr. Helm.

Edna married Alex Wald on January 12, 1979 and they lived on a farm near Plummer, MN where they raised grain and beef cattle.  Edna enjoyed the farm where she built tree houses, cleared 4-wheeler and snowmobile trails in the woods for her grandchildren to ride.  She worked constantly on her vegetable garden and her flower gardens.  She passed that green thumb to her children and grandchildren.  There wasn't a plant that Grandma couldn't nurse back to health.

Edna never missed a hockey game when her grandchildren were playing.  She sat in many cold arenas drinking bad coffee and yelling her signature "IN THERE!!" when her grandkids would score.  She enjoyed crochet, drawing, reading, music, and "no one could make gravy or apple pie like Grandma."  She loved animals, raising dogs, cats, horses, fish, frogs, chipmunks, sheep, skunks, raccoons, even a one eyed, one legged abandoned sparrow named, Julie.

Mom would sit on the couch with we 3 kids, put her arms around us and say, "let's pretend we're on a boat in the middle of the ocean."  Meaning we were all safe, something she continued to do with her grandchildren.  Mom is now safe in her boat, in the middle of the ocean.

Edna, Grandma, was truly loved and will never be forgotten.  She was preceded in death by her first husband, Howard, her parents, brothers, Nial and Stanley, sisters, Nina, Betty, Alice, and GladyAnn.

She is survived by her husband Alex of Thief River Falls, MN; sister, Lucille; children, Marty (Sally) Collins of Thief River Falls, Trent (Brenda) Collins of Thief River Falls, Rhonda (Lance) Stoddard of Moorhead, MN; grandchildren, Travis (Tera) Collins of Moorhead, Chelsey (Turner) Sawatzke of Thief River Falls, Zack Collins of Boulder, CO, Jake Collins of Thief River Falls, Sally Lyn Stoddard of Moorhead, Kelsey Stoddard of Moorhead and Carly Stoddard of Moorhead; two step-grandchildren, Jenna (Tyler) Holen of Thief River Falls and Nick Dokkin of Minneapolis; five great-grandchildren, Masson and Myles Collins, Alexis Jaxon and Hazel Sawatzke; and step-great-grandchild, Sullivan Holen; and many other relatives and friends.