I was saddened to read Edward's obituary in the Oceana Herald Journal. I continue to receive the Journal where I live in Texas. Edward and I were in Crystal Lake School together for eight years. I have many fond memories growing up with Edward as one of my close friends. I remember him as always in a good mood, very competitive and an amazing salesman. He always sold more turkey raffle tickets than anyone else in the school. I was one grade ahead of him, so we did not compete in academics, however, he always wanted to be taller than I, wear bigger shoes, etc. He was very fast and almost impossible to catch in any type of tag game. We played pom pom pull away, ante I over, fox and geese and many others. Edward always won or was the last one caught. In the upper grades he rode his bicycle to school. One time he told us that he had been chewing gum with his mouth open while riding to school. A grass hopper flew into his mouth, and he bit it. He was grossed out by that. He and the other boys his age were very interested in cars and could recognize every model and year. Of course the best car was a 1949 Ford which was what the Babbitt family owned. I liked to draw and learned to draw the different cars. By doing that, I was accepted as "one of the guys." When I left Crystal Lake School, I went to Shelby High School and seldom saw him again. I saw him one time when I was perhaps in eleventh grade. I went to the Crystal Lake Thanksgiving program and pie social because I had a neice still in school there. Edward was at the program, too. He sat with me, and we talked. I had baked a pie for the social, and he wanted me to let him know when my pie was up for auction. When my pie was up, he began to bid. One of the men knew that once Edward started to bid, he would continue till the pie was his. He would not let anyone else win over him. The other man continued to bid till Edward had bid $20. It was much more than anyone else had bid all evening, so he won the box of candy for being the highest bidder. I was impressed. A bid of $20 then was about like a bid of $100 today. He and I ate the two pieces of pie together as was the custom. It was probably the most expensive piece of pie either of us ever ate. Edward was a good boy in school. He and the other boys played a few pranks, but he never really got into any trouble. I count him among the best friends I had in my grade school days.##imported-begin##Ann Rider Woods##imported-end##
