Edwin Earl "Eddie" Gulliford
Edwin Earl "Eddie" Gulliford, age 79, after several years of declining health, passed away Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at his home in Green Camp. He is now with our Lord and has no more pain, only peace. Eddie lived in this area all of his life.
He was born January 1, 1933 in Marion County to Clarence and Marjorie (Seckel) Gulliford. His father preceded him in death; his mother, at age 99, survives.
Through their love of music, he met Cora Jane Layne at the Union Baptist Church on Route 739 near Richwood in 1950 and they married in 1953 at that church. They sang together for many years and loved to dance, especially the polkas and waltzes. They have German outfits and enjoyed wearing them to festivals, and for many years went to the Swiss Festival in Sugar Creek, where they had many friends.
Eddie graduated from Richwood High School in 1950. He enjoyed playing his trumpet in the band and singing in the quartet. He played with the Ohio All Boys Band at the Ohio State Fair in 1949 and 1950. He directed the church choir for many years.
In his earlier years he was involved with the Green Camp Lions Club. He greatly enjoyed baseball for boys and helped coach, moving up with his son, Deryl each year so they could be together. He was on the board of directors at the time the Palace Theatre in Marion was restored. He served as a volunteer there for thirty-five years.
He and Cora Jane started the hardware store in Green Camp when they were only twenty and twenty-one. They were there for fifteen years. After Eddie was in an auto accident, they sold the store and spent the next four years with corrective-type surgeries from the accident.
They then farmed and he was in real estate sales. They built the medical building in Prospect and had several rental properties. He greatly enjoyed gardening and was fond of his dog and cats.
They were currently attending the Prospect Baptist Church, and are very close friends with Pastor Bill and Petra Snyder, who happen to be their neighbors.
Besides his wife and mother, he is survived by a son, Deryl (Terrie) Gulliford, Hennessey, Oklahoma; three step-grandchildren, Carrie, Jacob and Lorrie; one step-great-grand-child, Makina, all of Oklahoma; family friends, who were like a son and daughter for over thirty-five years, Bill and Sally O’Dell, New Bloomington; their two sons, Scott (Lorie) and Eric (Rachel) as well as their grandchildren, Ayden, Ava and Spencer, all considered by Eddie and Cora Jane to be their own. He is also survived by two sisters, Elaine (Fred) Theekin, Marion; Eloise (Henry) Nixt, Waldo; many nieces, nephews and cousins.
The name Edwin means “friendly spirit”. From Ephesians 3:32, “Be kind to one another…forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” That was Eddie; he never knew a stranger and loved everyone. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Funeral services will be Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 11:00 AM in the Stofcheck-Ballinger Funeral Home, Richwood with Pastor Bill Snyder officiating. Burial will follow in Price Cemetery. Friends may call from 5 to 7 PM on Friday at the funeral home in Richwood. Pallbearers will be Loren Fulton, Jim Seckel, Brian Owens, Gary Robinson, Eric Fuller, Ryan Titus, Dewey Keigler and Bill O'Dell. Honorary Pallbearers will be Robert Davis, Dan Mitchell and Jeff Kersey.
The Gulliford family would like to thank all at Heartland Hospice, Dr. Idrees, Dr. Singh, Mary Ann Niederhuber, a hospice volunteer. We are deeply thankful to all others who in any way helped us.
Memorial gifts may be made to the Palace Theatre, 276 W. Center St., Marion, OH 43302.
Condolences and remembrances may be expressed at www.stofcheck-ballinger.com
Stofcheck-Ballinger Funeral Home