WOLFFORTH, Texas — Last week, 75-year-old Edith Ostrander lost her life in a house fire in Hockley County. It turns out, she had worked at the Wolfforth Pizza Hut at for 13 years. Now, her work family is raising money to support her funeral expenses.
Those closest to Edith knew her as Elaine. They described her as a bright light in the community who never met a stranger. They also said she worked hard at her job, and she took on many roles. To honor her, a heartfelt tribute has been set up in the same drive thru window where she worked.
“She always greeted people ‘Hi, honey,’ like that was her thing,” General Manager Heather Dohm explained. “She would honestly remember every single face that came through that drive thru.”
One of her regular customers, Leigh Ann McWhorter added, “She was very personable. And for me, she touched me in a way that nobody ever has. She gave me the ability to push forward in times that I didn’t want to.”
Another one of her regulars, Jessica Fabrie said that she could talk about anything with Ms. Elaine. Whether the topic was about dogs, families, or even Jeeps, Elaine knew how to keep the conversation alive.
Because she touched the lives of many, it was extremely hard for those close to her to learn of her passing last Wednesday in a house fire. They said they couldn’t believe the news was true.
“It’s never going to be the same,” the customers explained.
However, they said they’d still be making their weekly trips to the Wolfforth Pizza Hut to help support the business. They said that’s what Elaine would have wanted.
McWhorter added, “My biggest hope is that over her 13 years of serving us as a community and her loving to serve us that we could take some little bit off of her family during this time.”
Those at the Pizza Hut will be donating all of the tips they receive from pickup orders to Elaine’s family to help cover the funeral expenses. It is not set in stone yet when the service will be held, but they family said it will be sometime in January after the holidays.
