[Gathnet] Ed Gathman has gone to be with his Lord

[Stuart Gathman]

Dear Gathnetters,
I want to report to you the celebration of the life of Edward Gathman that took place on Nov6.  Ed was a first cousin of my Dad, Stuart Walter Gathman and the son of uncle Frank Gathman of Elgin Ill.  I had not met him until we moved to California a decade or more ago.  It was a real pleasure at that time to meet a wonderful Christian man who represented to me the heritage of our family.  Ed was born in Elgin Ill on March 28, 1912 and died on Oct 31, 2007.

He worked at the Elgin Post Office from 1940 until 1973.  He was a fellow civil servant in that respect.  He retired as Assistant Postmaster.  He served in WW2 in Europe working for the military postal service.   He was involved in speed skating and won the Chicago Tribune Silver Skates in 1930.  He was married to Welma Gromer in 1937 and had two children.  His son Bruce and his wife Mary live in Easley, SC and his daughter, Janet and her husband Tom Beach live in the Southern California area.  They have two sons.

When Ed moved to Cerritos, California in 1974, the became members of the New Life Community Church.  Ed at one time owned two model T Fords.  When I met him he showed me his two "babies",  one a model T and the other a late model Ford.  I will never forget his letting me drive the T.   I had never done that before and it took some getting use to to use the 3 pedals on the floor plus the two levers on the steering wheel.  Never the less,  I was allowed to drive this historic machine all around his neighborhood.  He was very much involved in the Long Beach Model T Ford club and was editor of the club newsletter, "The Magneto News".

He was also a world traveler visiting 47 countries as well all 50 states.  He enjoyed activities such as riding the Goodyear Blimp, hot air balloons, parasailing and taking flying lessons at the age of 80.   

Ed's favorite saying was "Don't regret growing older -- it is a privilege denied to many"

He was someone whom you didn't forget once you met him.   He filled me in on a number of items of interest concerning the Gathman family.   He as a young man took film size 127 pictures and developed them.  I have a number of them which I scanned into jpg computer files.  He will be missed by those of us left behind but we will see him again in a better land!


der Altgrossvater
 
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