Edwin T. King was born on January 29, 1921 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana - the son of Edwina King and Monroe Johnson. Ed, as he was known, grew up in Mississippi. Ed worked in a sawmill in Crosby, Mississippi painting broom handles and sawing timber by hand. He enlisted in the Army in 1940 and served his country during WWII. He spent time in Italy, Southern France, and California. While in California, he met and married a woman by the name of Margaret and they moved to Mississippi. They had a son, Charles, in 1943.
Ed was honorably discharged in 1945 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Ed and Margaret moved to southern Indiana where they divorced in January of 1946.
Ed met Wilma Doris Shelton in Indiana and they were married on September 18, 1946. He worked for a bus company as a driver. They had three daughters Karen Lynn, Tina Marie and Mariea Lynn. Ed chose Tina's name from a song that he liked, and Mariea's was taken from her two older sisters' names.
Ed was now working as a cab driver for a company called 'Red Cab'. (I remember those cabs, and the building on Illinois street.) Ed grew to be a very heavy man. He was a type II Diabetic and took insulin shots to manage his diabetes. His diabetes may have led to the heart attack he had in 1973 which took his life on June 13th. I will never forget that day.
My father loved Christmas.
I remember one year when he and my mother went out window shopping together. There was this fake fur coat at this little consignment shop at a local strip mall. Mom kept hinting and hinting that she'd love to have that coat. Mom went back "just to look at it", but it was gone. Mom was so upset. She kept asking why Dad hadn't gotten it for her because now it was gone! Come Christmas morning, Mom opened this huge box from Dad and there lay her fake fur coat. Tears ran down her face as she put it on. To the left is my mother in her beloved coat.
Another year, when my baby sister was quite young, Dad was in the bedroom on Christmas day. There was a lot of racket going on behind that closed door. My little sister was upset this Christmas because there were no gifts under the tree for her to open. Such pounding was going on in the bedroom while my little sister cried in mom's arms. Finally, Dad came out and took his youngest daughter and carried her into the bedroom while we tagged along behind them. Still crying,Dad sat her down. She opened her eyes to find herself sitting upon the best little toy chest that a girl could ever want. When told to open it, she discovered gifts inside! She was the happiest little girl at that moment. I will always remember how happy she was.