Edna Staebler
Encyclopedia
Edna Staebler, CM
(January 15, 1906 – September 12, 2006) was a Canadian
author, best known for a series of cookbook
s, Food That Really Schmecks, based on Mennonite
home cooking as practiced in the Waterloo Region
.
She was born in Berlin, Ontario (later Kitchener
) in 1906 and grew up there. Staebler received a BA
from the University of Toronto
and a teacher's certificate from the Ontario College of Education. Staebler married in 1933 but divorced in 1962. She wrote articles for Maclean's
, Chatelaine
, Saturday Night
, Reader's Digest
, Star Weekly
and other newspapers and magazines; she has also written non-fiction with Canadian themes. In 1991, she established an award for creative non-fiction
, awarded annually by Wilfrid Laurier University
. Staebler was awarded the Order of Canada
in 1996.
She died of a stroke
in Waterloo, Ontario
, in 2006 at the age of 100.
Edna's birth certificate shows she was originally named Cora Margaret Cress but her name was changed after registration by letter to Edna Louise Cress. She was the daughter of John Gerp Cress (7 Apr 1875 - 23 Oct 1932) (machinist) and Louise Sattler (24 Jan 1881 - 8 March 1972) who were married 15 Jul 1903.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(January 15, 1906 – September 12, 2006) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
author, best known for a series of cookbook
Cookbook
A cookbook is a kitchen reference that typically contains a collection of recipes. Modern versions may also include colorful illustrations and advice on purchasing quality ingredients or making substitutions...
s, Food That Really Schmecks, based on Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
home cooking as practiced in the Waterloo Region
Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario
The Regional Municipality of Waterloo is a regional municipality located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It consists of the cities of Kitchener, Cambridge, and Waterloo, and the townships of Wellesley, Woolwich, Wilmot, and North Dumfries. It is often referred to as the Region of Waterloo or just...
.
She was born in Berlin, Ontario (later Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
) in 1906 and grew up there. Staebler received a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and a teacher's certificate from the Ontario College of Education. Staebler married in 1933 but divorced in 1962. She wrote articles for Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
, Chatelaine
Chatelaine (magazine)
Chatelaine is an English-language Canadian magazine of women's lifestyles. Both Chatelaine and its French-language version, Châtelaine, are published monthly by Rogers Media, Inc., a division of Rogers Communications, Inc...
, Saturday Night
Saturday Night (magazine)
Saturday Night was a Canadian general interest magazine. It was founded in Toronto, Ontario in 1887.The publication was first established as a weekly broadsheet newspaper about public affairs and the arts, which was later expanded into a general interest magazine. The editor, Edmund E. Sheppard,...
, Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
, Star Weekly
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
and other newspapers and magazines; she has also written non-fiction with Canadian themes. In 1991, she established an award for creative non-fiction
Edna Staebler Award
The Edna Staebler Award is an annual Canadian literary award, presented to the year's best work of creative nonfiction. The award was established in 1991 by writer Edna Staebler, and is administered by Wilfrid Laurier University.-Winners:...
, awarded annually by Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University is a university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It also has campuses in Brantford, Ontario, Kitchener, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario and a future proposed campus in Milton, Ontario. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada....
. Staebler was awarded the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
in 1996.
She died of a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
, in 2006 at the age of 100.
Edna's birth certificate shows she was originally named Cora Margaret Cress but her name was changed after registration by letter to Edna Louise Cress. She was the daughter of John Gerp Cress (7 Apr 1875 - 23 Oct 1932) (machinist) and Louise Sattler (24 Jan 1881 - 8 March 1972) who were married 15 Jul 1903.
Further reading
- Christl Verduyn, Must Write: Edna Staebler's Diaries (Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2005),
External links
- Entry from Canadian Who's Who
- Must Write: Edna Staebler's Diaries ed. Christl VerduynChristl VerduynDr. Christl Verduyn is Professor of English Literature and Canadian Studies at Mount Allison University. She is the 2006 recipient of the Governor General's International Award for Canadian Studies, awarded by the International Council for Canadian Studies...
, Wilfrid Laurier University PressWilfrid Laurier University PressWilfrid Laurier University Press, based in Waterloo, Ontario, is a publisher of scholarly writing and is part of Wilfrid Laurier University. The fourth-largest university press in Canada, WLUP publishes work in a variety of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences — literary criticism,...
, 2005.