Ed Wilson died at Good Samaritan Hospital on Thursday, October 14th, 2010. We will always remember Ed for his gentle smile and sweet personality. God Bless You and Keep You, Ed.
Didn't know Ed well although he was in youth group @ church. He stopped & talked with me @ the 10th or 20th reunion. He was so happy to be with us. The way he conversed quite awhile about what he did & how life was touched me because he didn't look well then. God is certainly blessing Ed!
I have known Eddie Wilson since the beginning of Sunday School at the old First United Methodist church in Kearney. My most memorable class with him was 11th grade Speech with Gary Stickney. Speech class was unquestionably hard, for all of us. I think that having to get up in front of fellow classmates and deliver a speech even though you know each other is like taking a fish out of water and watching it squirm. We all squirmed. I know I did. So did Eddie. But his soft, low toned voice and his nervousness made me realize that we all were the same. We all wanted the same thing. Just finish and sit down. We had the same fears. The same reasons to laugh, eventually the same reasons to cry.
At the end of Ed's funeral, his Pastor shared a story of how when Ed was very ill and restless, that his family had come to be with him and they all stood beside his bed and held hands and recited the Lord's Prayer. And the minister related that even though Ed was in a comma, that prayer brought peace to him and calmed his restlessness. Well, as you can guess, that opened the flood gates for me and though I tried not to, I couldn't help but cry. I cried because another class mate has slipped from us, before we said good-bye. I cried because I remembered my conversations with Eddie 20 years ago at Boogaarts where I worked Saturday nights and he came in to shop. I cried because I had known him all those years and never ever did anything special together as friends. But mostly I cried because I knew that Eddie understood and lived the "Lord's Prayer". Those were tears of joy. Thanks Eddie, I know now that we shared something special together, you were the one who listened. -gar paine
Eddie and I went to A.O.Thomas together. Though I know Eddie wasn't always picked first for teams, and struggled with academics, he always had a smile on his face. He never gave up, just plugged away at whatever task was in store.
I will always remember a Valentine Eddie gave me in fourth grade. It wasn't the usual slobbery, blubbery, mushy kind; but it simply said he thought of me as his friend. From then on I thought of him as a friend too.
I enjoyed talking with Eddie at the 20th class reunion. I believe he said he was a welder, had been married and seemed happy. I was glad life seemed on his side then.
Sometimes those very people that we didn't think about during our young years are the ones we reflect on now. What could we have done to help; to show more compassion; to just take the time? Sometimes those are the very people that now teach us the lessons of life.
I remember Eddie Wilson quite well! In grade school at A.O.T. everyone was good friends. We called Ed "Tillson Iron" I have no idea why- just a nickname. Yes..... Ed was slow and as round as a bowling ball, but we didn't care 'cause he was a lot of fun! In grade school I assumed the role of being his protector as he had a hard time standing up for himself. I have a tear in my eye right now for him and I feel bad that I didn't keep up with him through the years. I will, like some of you, say a prayer for Eddie and know that God will send it directly to him and tell him that I love him.
I have known Ed all my life. I was honored to have been asked to be one of his pallbearers. He was my friend.
Painer and I both knew him from Sunday School as Painer said. Doug and I both knew him from church youth group as Doug said. Celia and Dave and I knew him from A.O. Thomas. Ed and I always greeted each other with smiles at the reunions..... Fate played a large part in Ed and my getting back in touch.
I opened the GI Independent and there was Ed's picture. Fate! He was in an ad for a care service that was looking after his wellbeing and recovery. He was quoted thanking them for their fine service. I tracked down the location in G.I. and stopped in to visit Ed. I got a chance to show Ed the web page. Because of his health situation he was not able to attend the reunion. When I stopped to see him after the reunion I was excited to show him the pictures of all those that had attended. As I went through the slides taken at the gatherings Ed shocked me. Before I could recall the names of everyone that came up on the slides Ed was naming them as if he had just seen them himself. He knew everyone........
See you at the FINAL REUNION ED!
This picture is of our old neighborhood gang. I think I am the one wearing the helmet on the left.
Around the table left to right... Brad Saum, (deceased) Stan Brown, Mike Sikes, (location unknown) Lanny Randolph, Second Helmet, (maybe Larry Kay) Dave Green, Good Old Ed Wilson, and Eric Boshart (deceased)
Douglas Milo Thunberg
Didn't know Ed well although he was in youth group @ church. He stopped & talked with me @ the 10th or 20th reunion. He was so happy to be with us. The way he conversed quite awhile about what he did & how life was touched me because he didn't look well then. God is certainly blessing Ed!
Douglas Milo Thunberg
Gary Paine
I have known Eddie Wilson since the beginning of Sunday School at the old First United Methodist church in Kearney. My most memorable class with him was 11th grade Speech with Gary Stickney. Speech class was unquestionably hard, for all of us. I think that having to get up in front of fellow classmates and deliver a speech even though you know each other is like taking a fish out of water and watching it squirm. We all squirmed. I know I did. So did Eddie. But his soft, low toned voice and his nervousness made me realize that we all were the same. We all wanted the same thing. Just finish and sit down. We had the same fears. The same reasons to laugh, eventually the same reasons to cry.
At the end of Ed's funeral, his Pastor shared a story of how when Ed was very ill and restless, that his family had come to be with him and they all stood beside his bed and held hands and recited the Lord's Prayer. And the minister related that even though Ed was in a comma, that prayer brought peace to him and calmed his restlessness. Well, as you can guess, that opened the flood gates for me and though I tried not to, I couldn't help but cry. I cried because another class mate has slipped from us, before we said good-bye. I cried because I remembered my conversations with Eddie 20 years ago at Boogaarts where I worked Saturday nights and he came in to shop. I cried because I had known him all those years and never ever did anything special together as friends. But mostly I cried because I knew that Eddie understood and lived the "Lord's Prayer". Those were tears of joy. Thanks Eddie, I know now that we shared something special together, you were the one who listened. -gar paine
Celia Hoffman (Seastone)
Eddie and I went to A.O.Thomas together. Though I know Eddie wasn't always picked first for teams, and struggled with academics, he always had a smile on his face. He never gave up, just plugged away at whatever task was in store.
I will always remember a Valentine Eddie gave me in fourth grade. It wasn't the usual slobbery, blubbery, mushy kind; but it simply said he thought of me as his friend. From then on I thought of him as a friend too.
I enjoyed talking with Eddie at the 20th class reunion. I believe he said he was a welder, had been married and seemed happy. I was glad life seemed on his side then.
Sometimes those very people that we didn't think about during our young years are the ones we reflect on now. What could we have done to help; to show more compassion; to just take the time? Sometimes those are the very people that now teach us the lessons of life.
God's Speed, Eddie.
Dave Green
I remember Eddie Wilson quite well! In grade school at A.O.T. everyone was good friends. We called Ed "Tillson Iron" I have no idea why- just a nickname. Yes..... Ed was slow and as round as a bowling ball, but we didn't care 'cause he was a lot of fun! In grade school I assumed the role of being his protector as he had a hard time standing up for himself. I have a tear in my eye right now for him and I feel bad that I didn't keep up with him through the years. I will, like some of you, say a prayer for Eddie and know that God will send it directly to him and tell him that I love him.
Dave Green
Randy Brown
I have known Ed all my life. I was honored to have been asked to be one of his pallbearers. He was my friend.
Painer and I both knew him from Sunday School as Painer said. Doug and I both knew him from church youth group as Doug said. Celia and Dave and I knew him from A.O. Thomas. Ed and I always greeted each other with smiles at the reunions..... Fate played a large part in Ed and my getting back in touch.
I opened the GI Independent and there was Ed's picture. Fate! He was in an ad for a care service that was looking after his wellbeing and recovery. He was quoted thanking them for their fine service. I tracked down the location in G.I. and stopped in to visit Ed. I got a chance to show Ed the web page. Because of his health situation he was not able to attend the reunion. When I stopped to see him after the reunion I was excited to show him the pictures of all those that had attended. As I went through the slides taken at the gatherings Ed shocked me. Before I could recall the names of everyone that came up on the slides Ed was naming them as if he had just seen them himself. He knew everyone........
See you at the FINAL REUNION ED!
This picture is of our old neighborhood gang. I think I am the one wearing the helmet on the left.
Around the table left to right... Brad Saum, (deceased) Stan Brown, Mike Sikes, (location unknown) Lanny Randolph, Second Helmet, (maybe Larry Kay) Dave Green, Good Old Ed Wilson, and Eric Boshart (deceased)
Brownie