Many of you have come to know Gramps through facebook and our blog; here is a little more about his ordinary extraordinary life.
Edwin Schuyler Walden was born in Greenville, Maine July 20, 1922, hand delivered by the famous Doc Pritham. He was named Edwin for his quiet, retiring grandfather (sometimes the apple does fall far from the tree) and Schuyler for a WW1 pilot who came to Walden Farm to find respite and recovery.
He was a happy bowlegged child running carefree among the summer guests on Walden Farm learning quickly how to find money (under the porch) or make money ( taking fishermen to hot spots when he wasn’t big enough to lift the boat motor). His childhood framed the rest of his life; every new acquaintance was a friend – who surely wanted to hear his stories.
He served during WW2 in the South Pacific as an engineering officer in the Army Air Corps. Upon his return, he graduated from the University of Maine, married, and came home to Greenville where he and his wife, Barbara, kept the Greenville Airport operating for several years.
He lived the rest of his life in this town that he loved, supporting his family by running a local business, eventually retiring and building a house on Walden land, a stone’s throw from where he spent his childhood.
Gramps was famous for his love of family both past and present. He was proud of his place in local history and was a ‘mahvelous’ storyteller. He was happiest when telling and retelling a Walden Farm tale to anyone who would listen.
He died on November 23, 2017 in the ‘Doc Pritham’ room at the CA Dean Memorial Hospital in Greenville.
They say a loved person has many names and Gramps was Ed, Eddie, Bones, Uncle Bones, Boonie, Gramps and Grandfather. He was a favorite uncle, a loved grandfather, an epic storyteller and a proud East Roader. He will be lovingly remembered by friends and family.
For those of you who love his stories, as I do, I am happy to say that Gramps and I worked together on writing down just about every story he ever told and we will continue to publish these on our blog and hopefully in a book.
We are having a celebration of his life June 24, 2018, at the Walden Farm open to all . Donations in his memory may be made to American Legion, Post 94, PO Box 1222, Greenville, Maine, 04441
We hope to be there next summer. Think of you often. Hope to visit soon. Love you.
Great job, Viv. Can’t wait to have that book in my hands. Love, Margo
So sorry for your loss. Such a great story teller! He will be missed.
I will miss him yelling from the porch to me this summer…I have been coming to Eds place to camp for many years. I will miss him, and his stories. My condolences to the family.
and I’ll miss his stories about the AT, including the trick he played on Grandma Gatewood on Katahdin. Man, he’s got a whole new audience up there! Keep wowin them, ED!!!
Viv, you have done a masterful job of writing – both in catching the jist and hilarity of Boon’s stories and in keeping yourself sane while doing it. A book would be great, but for now, rest up, catch your breath, and focus on the next generations. We will definitely find our way to Greenville next June – that will be the 59th summer since I first met Boon.