Eberhardt

Longtime Fayette County resident Lady Weldon “Bungy” Hedley Grant Ellington Hartshorn Eberhardt passed away peacefully on June 25, 2024, at the Ledbetter home of her daughter and sonin- law, Ballan and Dan Keen. Bungy would have been 90 in November and will be fondly remembered by all for her outgoing zest for life and love for Fayette County.

Born to mother George Malcolm Reed and father Eli Weldon Hedley in Seminole, Okla., on Nov. 11, 1934, Bungy was the third of four spunky “Hedley Girls.” When the family moved to “The Cove” in San Pedro, Calif., in 1937, Bungy’s love of the sea and sailing began. This abiding love stayed with her through all adventures (and many moves) during her long life—including Tahiti, Fiji, Maui, Puerto Rico, Florida, Connecticut, the Mojave Desert… and finally to Texas.

Bungy moved to Bandera with her husband Edward “Ted” Grant and their four children in 1975, to manage the Lost Valley Resort. They subsequently owned a favorite tourist stop, the Bandera General Store, managed the Flying L Golf Resort, and owned The Little River Ranch cabins, which was largely destroyed in a flood in 1978. Ever the entrepreneur, Bungy and her daughter Ballan established a new smaller tourist favorite, the General Store on Main Street, which she ran for more than 20 years.

Bungy moved to Ledbetter in 1999 and quickly got involved with the Ledbetter Homemaker’s Club, Ledbetter Volunteer Fire Department and the Texas Czech Heritage & Cultural Center where she was involved with “Muziky, Muziky” for many years. She was always first to volunteer, help in painting anything that needed paint… and for fun hosted legendary campfire parties for her family and friends where everyone shared their talents. Bungy was always ready with a hearty laugh, a song for every occasion and a fabulous yodel.

An accomplished storyteller, Bungy wrote a weekly column for a newspaper and eventually authored “View from Top of the Mast” about her adventures crewing on sailboats, her early life with her famous beachcombing dad and all the celebrities that brought into her life. Her book was later turned into a movie, “Girl at the Top of the Mast.”

Bungy was preceded in death by her parents; her beloved son, Weldon Davies Grant; sisters, Flo Ann Norvell and Marilyn Gozzano, and husbands, Ted Grant, Aubrey “Duke” Ellington, Larry Hartshorn and Roland Eberhardt.

Survivors include: daughters, Ballan Elizabeth KeKaihoku (Dan) Keen and Hedley “Dede” (Dale) Pelletier of Oak Ridge, Tenn.; son, Seaward Burr (Lisa) Grant of Santa Barbara, Calif.; bonus son, Larry “Tuck” (Linda) Hartshorn, of Felton, Calif.; her grandchildren: Sara Pelletier, Andrew Pelletier and Kyla (Charlie) Petch, Dan (Laura) Keen, Jr., Rusty (Natalie) Keen, and Terri (Brion) Ideker; great-grandchildren: Averi Keen, Tanner Keen, Alley Keen, Lauren Jones, Jacob Keen, Grace Keen, Logan Ideker and Colby Ideker; and many loved nieces and nephews and their families. Bungy’s sister Charlotte “Ba” Hedley remains the beloved matron of the “Hedley Girls.”

A Celebration of Life will be held Aug. 27 at The Cove (White Point) in San Pedro, which is now part of the California State Park system—all are welcome. The family requests in lieu of flowers that donations go to Hill Country CASA, https://hccasa.org. Fair Winds, Bungy!