SUNDAY'S OBITUARY - EDWIN WILBUR GOOD 1937-2007

My Mom's brother, Eddie, was so special to me!  I'd known him since I was born.  From what I remember growing up, "Unk" as we called him, was always around.  He lived with Mom and Dad, helping Dad on the farm.  Eddie was like a little brother to Dad.  He also worked with Pop when Dad farmed at Bunker Hill AFB, south of Peru, Indiana.  It's now known as Grissom AFB, in honor of Astronaut Gus Grissom, who died in that awful launchpad fire in 1967. 


Eddie Good ca 1941-42
Listie, PA



Eddie ca 1951



Uncle Eddie working with Dad
Peru, Indiana 1950s



Dad in Peru, Indiana in the 1950s



Edwin W. Good US Army 1950s

Eddie served in the Army, and I remember a picture of him and me together when I was 3 or 4, he dressed in his uniform.  It was during that time, I recall trying to tell him something and it came out bass-ackwards.  He laughed that beautiful, deep laugh, and from then on, he called me his "little Dutchman."  We always met his girlfriends, one of them, Pauline, would babysit us every now and then. 


Unk with his own Easter basket 1963
Peru, Indiana

When Unk married Garnet Craig in 1964, we were introduced to her.  His nickname for her was "Garney," but we kids mistook it for "Connie," and no one ever corrected us.  To this day, we still call her that when speaking of her.  I think she enjoyed it that she had a special name that only we used for her.  She passed away about 5 weeks after Unk died, from Diabetes complications.

I wrote the following the day after Uncle Eddie's death: 

"Uncle Eddie was a spiritual person, with a wonderful sense of humor.  He always tried to be positive and see the bright side of things.  He had a wonderful singing voice and could play the acoustic guitar beautifully.  I remember him sitting on Grandma's porch swing, sing hymns, reminding me of Andy Griffith.  He took care of Aunt Connie (Garnet), who is in a wheelchair, with dedication.  Even tho' he was in extreme pain from the bladder cancer which had spread to his liver, he said he had to take care of "Momma" (before he thought of himself).  He said we weren't to cry because of his passing, but to celebrate!  He was going Home. I know there's a great reunion in Heaven, as he joins his mom and dad, two sisters and a baby brother he never knew.  I will miss him so very much!   His loving niece, Joy- May 28, 2007."


The last picture I ever got of Uncle Eddie
Christmastime 2006
Daytona Beach, Florida

The following obituary was placed in the Daytona Beach News-Journal: 

"Edwin Good     
DAYTONA BEACH -- Edwin Wilbur Good, 69, of South Nova Road, retired from the Volusia County school district maintenance department, died Sunday at Florida Hospital Oceanside, Ormond Beach. Mr. Good, an Army veteran, was born in Listie, Pa., and moved to this area in 1980 from Largo. He had also worked in construction. He was a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Church and the Fraternal Order of the Eagles. Mr. Good enjoyed flying and anything to do with aviation. Survivors include his wife of 42 years, Garnet; a son, Mark, Holly Hill; a sister Evelyn Logan, Indiana; and two grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, NCICFUL, P.O. Box 102454, Atlanta, GA 30368. Woodward, Holly Hill, is in charge.
Published in the Daytona Beach News-Journal on 5/30/2007." 

My sister and I didn't think it was worthy enough of Unk. So, she wrote another one (with my input) to put in the paper in Somerset, Pennsylvania (close to Listie, where Eddie was born).  That one follows:

"Edwin Wilbur Good, 69, of Daytona Beach, Florida passed away Sunday, May 27, 2007 at Florida Hospital Oceanside, Ormond Beach. He had been suffering with cancer for several years. "Eddie", as he was known by everyone, was born October 9, 1937 in Listie, PA to Edwin Ellsworth Good and Sarah Elizabeth (Aultz) Good.
He graduated in 1955 from Somerset High School. He served in the United States Army and was stationed at Indian Town Gap, PA, where he acted as a general's chauffeur. In the early 1960's he worked in Chicago as a detective for the railroad and met his future wife, Garnet Lorraine Craig, while there. They were married on October 7, 1964 in Muncie, Indiana. She survives. On March 8, 1970 their son, Mark Edwin, was born in Muncie, Indiana. He survives along with his wife, Lynette, and their 2 children, Hunter and Hayden.
Eddie also, at different times, worked in farming, construction and at the Square D manufacturing plant in Peru, Indiana. In the 1970's he served with the Indiana National Guard out of Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, IN. Later he and his family moved to Florida where he eventually retired from the Volusia County School System.
Eddie was a licensed pilot and loved anything to do with aviation. He was a member of the Prince of Peace Catholic Church and the Fraternal Order of the Eagles. He was preceded in death by his parents, 2 sisters - Mrs Alice Rebecca (Harold) King of New Port Richey, FL and Mrs Sarah Elizabeth (George) Graham of Listie, PA - and a nephew - Mr Bruce King of Pittsburgh, PA. Survivors besides the aforementioned include a sister - Mrs Evelyn Lois (James) Logan of Pierceton, IN - 5 nephews, 7 nieces, 5 great nephews, 6 great nieces and one great, great nephew.
Services will be Tuesday, June 5, 2007 at 3 p.m. at Dale Woodward Funeral & Cremation, Holly Hill, Florida." (written by Kathy Logan Creamer with input by Joy Logan Burkhart for submission to and publication in The Daily American in Somerset, PA, May 31, 2007)


Uncle Eddie, Aunt Alice, Grandma Good,
Aunt Sally, & Mom (Eveyln) ca 1966

I really miss you, Unk!  Miss you, too, Aunt Connie!!! 
Love ya both!


Uncle Eddie 1971



Aunt Connie 1971

XoXoXo
 

Geneablogger Week 2: Winter

"Prompt for Week 2: Winter. What was winter like where and when you grew up? Describe not only the climate, but how the season influenced your activities, food choices, etc."

UPDATE Aug 3, 2011:  I'm adding this post to the Bunny Hop Wednesday Party, hosted by Bunny Jean's Decor and More!  This is the first day of the new blog hop.  HOP on over and join in!

The first winter I remember, I was 5 years old.  I'd been born in northern Indiana (VERY cold), but we moved to Casa Grande, Arizona sometime in 1958. 


  

Christmas 1958 Casa Grande, AZ
My brother Kevin (Bud) and me.

    



My brother and me with our Dad
Christmas 1958 Casa Grande, AZ

Christmas that year was WARM and my brother and I could play outside, in the sand.  I don't remember much grass or many flowers, just SAND and dust storms. I recently found out from a friend who lives in Phoenix the dust storms are called haboobs .


We both loved our new cowgirl
and cowboy outfits!  See the sand?

We came back to Indiana in 1959 sometime after Easter. 

Just about each Thanksgiving after that, our family would pack up the car after Dad got home from work Wednesday night. 

We would joyfully head for Grandma's, singing Christmas songs!  This was Mom's mother and she and my Aunt Sally lived in Listie, Pennsylvania. 

We had to take the turnpike once we got into Pennsylvania.  All of us kids would count the trucks - we'd take turns motioning to the drivers to blow their horns, see who could spot the most different state license plates, again - sing Christmas songs, finally wear ourselves out and fall to sleep. 


Grandma Good's back in the 1930s.

About 1 A.M. we would pull into Grandma's drive. The yellow house light would be on for us. Dad would climb the steps to the porch and knock loudly on the wooden green screen door.  As usual, we'd hear Aunt Sally throw open the window on the stair-landing and yell out, "Who's there?"  We'd all laugh and yell back, "It's just us!" 


Me (Joy), Bud, Kerry in front
Mom, Kathy and Dad
Thanksgiving 1960 at Grandma Good's in PA.

We couldn't wait to rush into the house and hug both of them! 



Uncle Eddie, Grandma Good, Aunt Sally around 1951
near Listie, Pennsylvania

 It always smelled so good at Grandma's!  She'd been baking pies that day, so the whole house had the aroma of pumpkin, apple, cherry, and pecan pies!  I can smell them now! 

To be at Grandma's was so comforting, like being held in a big hug!  We'd get tucked into bed, fall fast asleep, and wake up Thanksgiving morning to the smell of toast, coffee, and cigarettes.  We knew Aunt Sally was up and at it already! 

Whenever I smell those three aromas, I'm transported back to the wonderful times at Grandma's!

The Thanksgiving meals were always delicious!  Grandma and Sally were good cooks and put on a great feast.  Turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, cranberry sauce, rolls, and "filling."  This was the term Mom grew up using for dressing or stuffing.  It took a long time for us to start using one of those two terms instead.

Most of the time, Grandma had her homemade apple butter, grape jelly, or elderberry jam.  UM-UM-GOOD! (By the way, that was Grandma's last name!)

There were a few times we'd visit my Dad's mom in southern Indiana for Christmas.  She always had her aluminum Christmas tree with the color wheel.  We were fascinated with that color wheel and how it changed how the tree looked!  While the grown-ups would talk, we kids would lay on the floor and stare at it in wonder.


Kerry, Kathy, Joy, Bud
Christmas at Grandma Hilda's 1959





Kathy at Grandma Hilda's 1960
Note the tree in background?



Grandma Hilda was a good cook, too.

She'd fix chicken, green beans, corn, made-from-scratch noodles, dressing, along with her homemade pickles.  Loved those pickles! 

These were canned in the old green-tinted Mason or Ball jars with the wire around the neck of the jar that hooked over a cap and rubber ring. 

When it wasn't a holiday, Mom would fix grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup a lot.  I still love to sit down with a meal like that in the winter!  I remember a lot of fish sticks and Jello with fruit, too!

My Dad and Uncle Eddie (Mom's brother) worked together at Dad's
construction company.



Every day Mom would fix a huge lunch for them (also called dinner in different parts of the country). 

"They work hard, so they deserve to eat well," she'd say.  I remember she'd fix gravy differently every other day.  One day it would be a water and flour slurry, the next a milk and flour slurry. 

Dad liked it with milk, having grown up on a farm.  Uncle Eddie liked it with water, as that was how Grandma Good made it.

Supper was always a lighter meal of hot dogs or hamburgers, something along those lines.  We used to love it when we got ice cream!  Yay!

Birthdays were celebrated the same no matter what season it was.  Mom would make a beautiful cake and serve ice cream with it.  We'd sit around the dinner table and sing "Happy Birthday," always ending with either "and many more!" or "cha-cha-cha!"



Kevin (Bud) and Joy
August 1957 Peru, Indiana

 




Kathy's 4th birthday
Dec 1963
Peru, Indiana

 

Joy, Kerry, Mom, and Bud
My 6th birthday - March 1959 Casa Grande, AZ



We didn't get outside much in the winter months.  When we did go out, we were always bundled up so much we could hardly walk!  Remember little Randy in "A Christmas Story?"  That was us!  Mom would send a note to our teachers that we were not to go out for recess if the temperatures were less than 60 degrees.  Our teachers weren't too happy about that! 

We couldn't wait for Spring to arrive!  It seemed like time took forever to move!  We would say "I wish it were next week" or something like that.  Grandma Good would tell us to stop wishing our lives away.  She'd say, "it goes by quickly enough, especially when you get older."  Boy, she surely was right!

XoXoXo

Baby Hat for Gage

Mornin' Everyone! 

I want to share a picture of the hats I knitted for my great-nephew Gage.  I used the pattern from Ashley Knits, but I left off the ribbon.  Not very manly! ;-)

The little white hat is a preemie pattern I found at Knitting with Olof.  I changed it a little bit from the pattern, making a smoother crown.  This blue hat below is a picture of how the pattern should look, if you follow Olof's instructions (guess I'm a rebel, have to do it my way ;-}!  ).

Gage was was 2 months old on the 3rd.  He's growing quickly, don't think these will fit too well (especially the white one, which really wasn't made with him in mind).  Will just have to get busy making him a couple more, a little larger this time!

XoXoXo