| ||||||
Edy was born in Reno, Nevada, to Fred and Gerda Rau. The family moved to Piedmont, California in 1948, where Edy attended Wildwood Elementary School and was a 1960 graduate of Piedmont High School. Edy attended San Francisco State University where she received her BA in elementary education and teaching in 1964.
Edy met Jeff Schwartz when they were early teens. They started dating and married in 1963. Together they would spend 55 years, raising their family, traveling the world, and educating on the critical issues of the time.
Moving to Moraga in 1967, Edy taught in the Moraga School District until the birth of her son John. Following the birth of her daughter Cathy, Edy began what would become a life-long career of raising public awareness on issues ranging from nuclear non-proliferation to the importance of grass-roots activism in our national and local political systems.
In 1998, Edy received her master's degree in psychology and counseling from John F Kennedy University. Turning her efforts to local topics, Edy spent two decades focused on issues critical to the Town of Moraga. Her work in Moraga included: being a founding member of the Moraga Citizens Network, president of the Moraga Chamber of Commerce, and a Community Liaison to Saint Mary's College of Moraga. Edy was Director of Community Marketing for the California Independent Film Festival, where she raised awareness on the importance of the Rheem Theatre to the Town of Moraga. In 2010, Edy was recognized as the Moraga Citizen of the Year, and in 2014 the Contra Costa Commission for Women inducted Edy into the Women's Hall of Fame.
Edy is survived by her beloved husband Jeff, her son and daughter-in-law John and Julianne Schwartz, her daughter and son-in-law Cathy and Richard Harris, her four grandchildren Trent and Ethan Schwartz, and Riley and Bodhi Harris, her brother and sister-in-law Ron and Susan Rau, and her sister, Judy Puckett.
A celebration of Edy's life will be held at 3 p.m. Oct. 6 in the Redwood Circle at Rancho Laguna Park in Moraga.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Moraga Community Foundation: https://moragacommunityfoundation.org.
Reach the reporter at:
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA