Eda Catherine Klarer Stertz, widow of the Reverend James G. Stertz, died on Sunday, November 10, 2019 at the Edgefield County Hospital at the age of 98. Born in Fernandina, Florida on September 14, 1921 to John Jacob Klarer and Ira Cornelia Satterwhite Klarer, Mrs. Stertz grew up in that small town where her father owned and operated shrimp boats. The second, and last remaining, of four daughters, she was a devout Baptist from childhood. She was a 1944 graduate of Tift College in Forsythe, Georgia, now part of Mercer University. She then went on to pursue graduate studies at Southern Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. While there, she met the man who was to become her husband, Dr. James Gail Stertz, who was pursuing his Master of Divinity degree. They were married in 1946. Following his graduation from Southern Seminary in 1947, Dr. and Mrs. Stertz embarked together on a fifty-year life of service to their Lord, which took them to a number of places in the Southeast as well as to Germany. Their pastorates included a stints at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, the Central Baptist Church of Newnan, Georgia, the First Baptist Church of DeLand, Florida, the Foreign Mission Board's headquarters staff in Richmond, Virginia, the Southern Baptist Church's first missionaries to Germany, the Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta, the Wake Forest Baptist Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina, the First Baptist Church of Greenville, South Carolina, the First Baptist Church of Sarasota, Florida and the First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia. Upon retirement to Edgefield, Dr. Stertz served as interim pastor at seven different churches throughout the region. At every post, Mrs. Stertz was actively involved in supporting her husband's ministry. Mrs. Stertz was also a writer and wrote and published three books. At the end of the Vietnam War, she played a very important role in helping to settle refugees from Vietnam into the Greenville, South Carolina area. Her kindness and support earned her a lifetime of love and support from these grateful refugees. Mrs. Stertz was predeceased by her husband of fifty-four years who died in 2001. She was also predeceased by two of her sons, John Christopher Stertz, and James G. Stertz, Jr. and by three sisters, Carolyn Klarer Crisp of Jacksonville, Florida, Mildred Klarer Harrison of Tallahassee, Florida, and Jean Klarer Puletti of LaBelle, Florida. She is survived by three children: Lt. Col. (Ret.) Joseph K. (Edie) Stertz, and Kathryn Stertz Rainsford, both of Trenton, and Ira Luke (Jean) Stertz of Greenville, by nine grandchildren: Joseph K. (Amy) Stertz, Jr. of Asheville, Wendy Stertz (Wade) Hawkins of Clemson, and Mandy Stertz (Dave) Kaiser of Greenville, Katie Driver (John) Owen of Memphis, Andrew Howard (Leah) Driver VI of Edgefield, Bettis C. (Melissa) Rainsford, Jr. of Trenton, Mary Rainsford (James) Driver of Charleston, Christen Stertz (Patrick) Burgis and Sarah Stertz (Noah) Winecoff, both of Charleston, and by twelve great grandchildren: Phoebe Kathryn Owen, John Wilson Driver Owen, Andrew Howard Driver VII, Bettis C. "Beau" Rainsford III, John Charles Phinizy Rainsford, Julius Marshall Vann Rainsford, Anne Catherine Rainsford, Mary Alice Driver, Timothy James Driver III, Julia Klarer Driver, Sophie Stertz and Wade Hawkins. A service will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday, November 23, 2019 at Edefield First Baptist Church. The family will receive friends after the service.