[1] She was born in Wawanesa, Manitoba, and worked as a schoolteacher at Mayfair Elementary School in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan before marrying John Diefenbaker in 1929.
Upon her husband's election as a Progressive Conservative member of Parliament Diefenbaker worked on his behalf in an unpaid capacity.
[2] John Diefenbaker later married Olive Palmer, his wife during his term as prime minister.
[1] Author Heather Robertson also wrote on her and other spouses of Canadian prime ministers in the 1991 book More Than a Rose.
[3] Although officially named the John and Olive Diefenbaker Museum due to Olive's status as John's wife during his term as prime minister, the Diefenbaker House museum does include materials related to Edna in its exhibits.