Elfriede Ball

Dallas ~ Elfriede “Elfie” Werner Ball, 73, passed away on Friday, July 11, 2014, surrounded by her family and special friends.  She fought a valiant fight with Breast Cancer which she was first diagnosed with in 1992.  She had to fight many other illnesses during her seventy-three years including another battle with cancer which returned in June of 2013.  Her strong will to live, faith in God and the loving prayers of family, friends and many supporters helped her be strong until the end of her life.

Elfriede was born on July 25, 1940 to Fritz and Hilda Werner in Vollmerhausen, Germany. She was the eldest of two daughters and is survived by a sister Freia along with her husband Wilfried Buermann of Kassel, Germany.  As a young girl, Elfie loved to be in the family bakery in Wellerode.  In 1954 she and her family moved to Kassel where she went to school, worked in clothing stores and modeled for department stores.  After enduring the trauma of World War II, she left Germany at the age of 19 to move to the United States to further her education at Columbia University in New York.  Although she left her home country, she visited Germany many times in her lifetime.  She lived in San Antonio and Houston and then moved to Dallas where she lived for over 33 years.  While in Houston, she worked at American General Insurance as an Executive Secretary and as Secretary to the Board for many years.  She was also elected Assistant Treasurer of AG Capital Management and was on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange when the American General Bond Fund was first traded.

Elfriede is survived by her husband George Standley Ball, Sr. who she was married to for 40 years.  She stole George’s love with her amazing beauty, her equally amazing culinary skills and her kind heart.  She and George have two surviving children, a daughter, Patricia “Patty” Janca and her husband Steve of Victoria, Texas and her son, George S. Ball, Jr. of Dallas.  Elfie is the proud grandmother to Steven Janca and Lauren Janca Hoerig and her husband Ryan, all of Victoria, Texas.  She was excitedly looking forward to the birth of her first great-granddaughter, Harper Lee Hoerig, who is due November 2014.  She also has one nephew, Ralph Buermann and his wife Susanne and their three children, Johannes, Christoph, and Sophia and a niece, Yvonne Buermann, and her daughter Michele all of Kassel, Germany.

Elfie was known by many for her kindness and thoughtfulness to all.  She would many times show up with her baked goodies or delicious homemade chocolates.  Throughout her life she maintained a strong will, kind heart, strong faith and a laugh that would bring her to tears when stories were told to her.

The family will receive friends on Tuesday, July 15, 2014 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at Coker-Hawkins Funeral Home, 405 E Main St., Decatur, Texas. Graveside services will be held on Wednesday, July 16, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. at Oaklawn Cemetery, Decatur, Texas.

Let your hope make you glad.  Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying .  Romans 12:12

Coker-Hawkins Funeral Home, Decatur, Texas, 940-627-5959