1. Erma Louise Bombeck was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for her newspaper humor column describing suburban home life, syndicated from 1965 to 1996.
33 Facts About Erma Bombeck
1. 2.
Erma Bombeck's work stands as a humorous chronicle of middle-class life in America after World War II, among the generation of parents who produced the Baby Boomers.
3.
Erma Bombeck Fiste was born in Bellbrook, Ohio, to a working-class family, and was raised in Dayton.
4.
Erma Bombeck's parents were Erma and Cassius Edwin Fiste, who was the city crane operator.
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Erma Bombeck began elementary school one year earlier than usual for her age, in 1932, and became an excellent student and an avid reader.
6.
Erma Bombeck particularly enjoyed the popular humor writers of the time.
7.
Erma Bombeck's mother remarried in 1938, to Albert Harris.
8.
Erma Bombeck practiced tap dance and singing, and worked for a local radio station for a children's revue for eight years.
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Erma Bombeck entered Emerson Junior High School in 1940, and began writing a humorous column for its newspaper, The Owl.
10.
Erma Bombeck left after one semester when her funds ran out.
11.
Erma Bombeck later enrolled in the University of Dayton, a Catholic college.
12.
Erma Bombeck lived in her family home and worked at Rike's, a department store, where she wrote humorous material for the company newsletter.
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Erma Bombeck remained active in the church for the rest of her life.
14.
Erma Bombeck decided to become a full-time housewife and relinquished her career as a journalist.
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The Erma Bombeck family moved in 1959 to Centerville, Ohio, into a tract housing development, and were neighbors of Phil Donahue.
16.
The Erma Bombeck home was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
17.
Erma Bombeck resumed her writing career for the local Kettering-Oakwood Times in 1964, with weekly columns that yielded $3 each.
18.
At the invitation of television producer Bob Shanks, Erma Bombeck participated in ABC's Good Morning America from 1975 until 1986.
19.
Erma Bombeck began doing brief commentaries, which were recorded in Phoenix, and eventually did both gag segments and serious interviews.
20.
For several years, Erma Bombeck was occupied with multiple writing and TV projects.
21.
In 1981, Erma Bombeck wrote and produced her own show, the unsuccessful Maggie, for ABC.
22.
Erma Bombeck was quickly becoming overworked, returning from Los Angeles to Phoenix only during weekends.
23.
Erma Bombeck was offered a second sitcom attempt but she declined.
24.
In 1978, Erma Bombeck was involved in the Presidential Advisory Committee for Women, particularly for the final implementation of the Equal Rights Amendment, with the ERA America organization's support.
25.
Erma Bombeck was strongly criticized for this by conservative figures, and some US stores reacted by removing her books.
26.
Erma Bombeck belonged to the American Academy of Humor Columnists, along with other famous personalities.
27.
Erma Bombeck was the grand marshal for the 97th Tournament of Roses Parade held on January 1,1986.
28.
Erma Bombeck was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease when she was twenty years old.
29.
Erma Bombeck survived breast cancer and a mastectomy and kept secret the fact that she had kidney disease, enduring daily dialysis.
30.
Erma Bombeck died on April 22,1996, aged sixty-nine, from complications of the operation.
31.
Erma Bombeck's remains are interred in the Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio.
32.
Erma Bombeck was survived by her husband, Bill Bombeck, and their three children.
33.
In 2010, CBS Sunday Morning With Charles Osgood aired a Mother's Day tribute to Erma Bombeck, using the workshop as a backdrop.