REDMOND, Arthur William "Bill" - b. November 12, 1929 - d. April 15, 2009

Leonardcrl · April 18, 2009, 09:51:05 AM

Since I won't make the funeral I thought I'd post my eulogy to my Cousin here.

The twins Bill and Bob Redmond were senior to me by five years. In that era "It takes a whole village to raise a child." was the very real thing and as my older Cousins there were "things that are expected..." Primarily to keep an eye on me as I wandered outside of my immediate and expected circle of friends; and after I passed drinking age, to make sure I didn't stray too far into the wild side. I am sure their Grandmother, Mother and my parents levied other, more precise, instructions on them. In any event it always seemed that one of them was always somewhere nearby when I was exploring the teenager and later temptations in Howard, Elk County and some of surrounding counties.

They were star athletes at the old Howard high school and as such earned respect granted at that time to small town heroes. Just check the trophy case for the years 1942-1947. They were starters on both the basketball and football teams. (Think Friday Night Lights)

At the time of their graduation Elk County was being electrified by the REA and both went to work for the contractor as linemen. They remained in this line of work up through their Army tour where they were lineman instructors at Fort Chaffee. After that Bob caught on full time with KGE and Bill continued to work on itinerant lineman jobs. During his time as an iterant lineman Bill became a student at the University of Kansas; while I was still struggling through my five year stay. When funds became short he would drop out and go back up on the poles. Eventually he "just got tired of being in hotels and eating in greasy spoons". Boeing was hiring and paying well so he returned to Howard, and became a lifer at Boeing for the rest of his working career.

During my annual visits during while my parents were alive, Bill Redmond was always the person I would go see when the home life or loneliness of Elk County became too much. I could spend a couple of hours with Bill who would set me straight so I could make it to end of my visit.

I'll miss him. - Real Bad

Diane Amberg · April 18, 2009, 10:03:44 AM

That's so nice. I'm sure he would appreciate those nice words.

larryJ · April 18, 2009, 03:31:25 PM

Well said, cuz. However, you must have been too much for Bill and Bob to keep track of because when I was in town they weren't around to keep me out of trouble. Of course, in a town the size of Howard and being related to damn near everybody there, you pretty much had to keep your nose clean. I can remember a few times that Granny chastised me on my behavior and I couldn't figure out how she knew until I was much older. On a visit there a few years ago, he made mention of a former girlfriend that I hadn't seen in over thirty years and preceded to bring me up to date on her. That he would remember me dating her and wanting to bring me up to speed was awesome. I will miss him very much as all of the cousins will. Larryj

Dignified Redneck · April 20, 2009, 12:43:40 PM

Carl & Larry,

I would just like to find someone who was supposed to watch over him & Bob, just to find out how much trouble they got into. My dad did tell me some stories on himself while I was staying with him. But I'm quite sure they were the versions he wanted me to hear!!!!!!!!!!!! Sharon & Bob Smith, Paul Snodderley, John, Susan & Sabrina Snodderley and Kevin & Eilen Redmond were at the service. If my observations are correct, they all had a good time visiting that afternoon. I know you two were there in spirit & prayers. I'll keep in touch. Deb

patyrn · April 20, 2009, 12:53:51 PM

Debbie,

Bill's service was really nice, and it was obvious he had helped with the planning. We hope it was comforting to you to see how many friends and relatives were in attendance who really cared about him and his family. May fond memories continue to ease your grieving.

KRI

larryJ · April 20, 2009, 10:38:56 PM

Debbie, you asked who kept those boys in line? Her name was Edith Collins Andrews, granny to all of us. You didn't do anything to embarass her or make her look bad, etc. That is your answer. Larry

Leonardcrl · April 21, 2009, 01:18:20 PM

Quote from: larryJ on April 20, 2009, 10:38:56 PM
Debbie, you asked who kept those boys in line? Her name was Edith Collins Andrews, granny to all of us. You didn't do anything to embarrass her or make her look bad, etc. That is your answer. Larry

Larry & Debbie:

Granny had plenty of help. First and foremost was her granddaughter posse. Their older sister, Edith Faye and my older sister Marjorie. They also had three uncles who were part of the "Greatest Generation". Albert (Jimmy) Andrews, Gene Stephens, and Carl Henderson.

frawin · April 22, 2009, 12:03:15 PM

Carl, your Mother was my 4th Grade teacher, and I remember her well, a tough disiplanarian and a good teacher. I did not know that you had a brother and a sister, they must have been a lot older than you. Your Uncle Fred Shepherd was a fun person, I visited with Fred a lot as a kid, I delivered their paper and Fred would stop me and visit. When as a young boy I worked at Garison's and Fred came in a lot to see Earl, Earl always called Fred Nicky, when I asked why, he would say it was a joke between them, Fred always called Earl Samuel, which was Earl's first name. After Fred retired he came by Garison's almost everyday to visit.
Frank

Schari · May 25, 2009, 01:27:17 PM

I am sorry to have missed the funeral. I recently asked my dad (Albert Andrews) to share some memories. He is a man of few words, but he did tell me 2 things.
Albert: "Bob and Bill were really good football players. They were pretty rough players, and looking back I can see it wasn't nice of me, but I egged them on to be as rough as they could be."
Albert: "They found a rifle bullet and they were messing around with it. One of them, I think it was Bobby, heated it up and it exploded in his hand. I never figured out what kind of story they told their mother."