MEREDITH — Gerda Barbara (Euler) Hart, 95, passed away peacefully in Warrenton, Oregon on May 4, 2020, with her beloved daughter Caron by her side.
Born March 26, 1925 in Offenbach/Frankfurt, Germany, to Josef and Maria Euler, she lived for 69 years in her treasured town of Meredith, New Hampshire, until recently when she moved to Oregon to be with her daughter.
This genuine, loving, funny, straight-talking woman was a true spitfire who won over the hearts of all who had the good fortune of meeting her. She possessed many unique qualities, the most immediate being her beautiful German accent. To many of us she was known as OMA.
As a teenager, Gerda and her family lived through World War II in Germany, enduring frightening food shortages and frequent air raid bombings. In 1947, this amazingly strong woman moved from Germany to the United States and married the love of her life, Lawrence (Larry) Hart, Jr., on July 21, 1947.
In 1954, she played an instrumental role in assisting Larry and his family open what was to become one of the most famous landmarks in Meredith: Harts Turkey Farm. She did so by cultivating and harvesting apples and vegetables as well as raising turkeys at the farm where the restaurant stands now.
In 1960, Gerda lost her husband at the young age of 39. This determined 35-year-old widow chose to persevere in her new role of a single mother to four young children. She went on to work in the banking industry and worked at the Meredith Trust/Meredith Village Savings Bank for 38 years, until her retirement in 2002. As head teller she is remembered as “the girl in the window,” and closely cherished the friendships she fostered though those pivotal years.
A stranger to none, she possessed an uncanny ability to form true and lasting friendships wherever she went. Gerda continued this knack for making friends throughout her life, even making a lasting impression at Golden View Nursing Home in Meredith where she spent a few years before moving to Oregon.
This charming lady loved to laugh and dance, go to lunch with the girls, rearrange her furniture on a whim, enjoy a good strong cup of black coffee, dress up to look “marvelous,“ go play bingo at Funspot, eat at China Garden in Laconia (always ordering the shrimp in lobster sauce), jet off to the islands or Atlantic City, enjoy an occasional good cigar, ski at Gunstock Mountain, and more than anything else … spend as much time as possible surrounded by her family.
Our generous OMA would never let anyone leave her house empty-handed, ever. She was full of practical, down to earth and genuine life advice. She instilled her wisdom, lessons in endurance, truth, respect, and wholesome values into others, all of which will be carried forth and practiced by the ones that loved and learned from her.
She set a nice table for family dinners each night. Without measurements, she taught us to cook many things from scratch, including German potato salad, her famous pie crust, stollen, turkey dinners, and several other German family recipes.
Although she was 95 years young, when asked, she would tell you that she was “39 and holding.” If you didn’t believe that she would threaten you with “a knuckle sandwich...!”
Gerda enjoyed a long, full life and thrived despite many challenging times. She will forever remain an inspirational legend to us all!
She was preceded in death by her husband, Lawrence E. Hart, Jr., 1960; son Mark Hart 1977; son Dwight Hart 2014; sister Juliana and Reprecht Volk; in-laws Lawrence and Mae Hart, Russell and Helen Hart, Dr. Robert and Hilda Hart, Marilyn and Juan Pattee; nephews and nieces Glenn Hart, Linda Hart-Buuck, Lee Holcomb and Robert Hart Jr.
She is survived by her son Peter Hart; daughter Caron Hart; grandchildren Anna Kenerson, Isaiah and Rebecca Hart; great-grandchildren Dana Kenerson, Samantha Hart, Dylan Hart and Hailey Hart; nephews Manfred and Heidemarie Volk, Russell and Lynne Hart, Kenneth and Anne Hart, John and Rachael Pattee; nieces Lynn Hart, Dale Hart, Jennifer and Todd Shongala, Michelle Pattee; plus many more great-nephews, nieces and cousins.
A private family gathering to celebrate her life will be held later this year.
In lieu of flowers a donation to the Glenn Hart Memorial Skate Park (Friends of Meredith Parks and Recreation), 1 Circle Drive, Meredith, NH 03253, or a donation to the charity of your choice is greatly appreciated.