Florence L. Ernst

Florence L. Ernst was born February 8, 1914 in South Bend to the late John and Antoinette (Urbanski) Darr. She died Monday, May 25, 2015, living to the age of 101. Her sisters, Dorothy (Darr) Walters and Alice (Darr) McMann and her brothers, Richard, Victor and Johnny Darr preceded her in death.

On February 8, 1937 in St. Joseph Catholic Church, Mishawaka, Florence married Enos J. “E.J.” Ernst. He died on June 4, 1975.

Florence lived her last years at the Sanctuary at St. Paul’s, South Bend. The staff took loving care of her. Previously she lived at Williamsburg on the Lake in Mishawaka and in Buchanan, Michigan. She was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Mishawaka. After many years of service she retired from Simplicity Pattern Company of Niles, Michigan.

Many loving nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews loved to go to Aunt Flo’s. She made each visit fun. She lived on the St. Joseph River so the children fished, waded in the creek, hunted mushrooms and arrowheads. She always fed them “mooseburgers” then they waited for the fancy ice cream. She played cards and Aggravation, took them bowling and raced them across the yard. One of her nephews thought she was so cool because she drove a Mustang and let him sit behind the wheel and rev the engine. The kids said she was the funniest, kindest, most generous and fun aunt ever. A sister-in-law and numerous friends whom she dearly loved will miss her too.

Services will be held at 2:30 pm on Saturday, May 30, in Goethals & Wells Funeral Home, 503 W. 3rd Street, Mishawaka, with Rev. Terry Fisher officiating. Private family burial will take place at Fairview Cemetery, Mishawaka.

Memorials are suggested to The Inn at the Sanctuary at St. Paul’s.