after his 1st Communion
Eddie Mugridge with his Family
at Memorial Mass for Helen Mugridge
It's hard to cover nearly 93 years of someone's life. So much happens in so great a time frame. And, for most everyone today, our dad is someone known through his family and his friends.
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| Edwin Mugridge - 1925 after his 1st Communion |
It's hard to imagine him as a baby or a small boy playing with toys, a teenager or a young man embarking on adventures on the open sea. But we think it's important to try to know who he was because, after all, who he was is why he became the man we all knew and loved.
So we give you this: a very condensed biography of our dad. We hope it gives you a glimpse into what an incredible man he was.
Our dad, Edwin R. Mugridge II, was born on March 21, 1916. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Emma and Edwin R. Mugridge I. He had three sisters - Mildred (born in 1900), Virginia (born in 1910) and Viola (born in 1912). He lived on West 52nd Street with his family.
After graduating from West High School, he joined the Merchant Marines. In 1935, he traveled on a tramp steamer across the Atlantic Ocean to Africa. His journey took him around the Cape of Good Hope and along the coast of Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya. There was a port called Dar es Salaam that he often referred to as one of the most beautiful places in the world. From Africa, he brought home a beautifully carved camphor chest and a bow and arrow - family heirlooms that we still have.
In 1935, he met our mother. He always said it was love at first sight. They were married in St. Stephen's Church on June 18, 1938.
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| Edwin in his Navy Uniform |
He entered the Navy during World War II and was stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Base outside Chicago.
Our father was a genius when it came to anything mechanical. His jobs included working for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, Forest City Yacht Club, Bishop Babcock, Cleveland Diesel, the Bomber Plant, White Sewing Machine, Cleveland Yacht Club and Cleveland Steel. He worked at Lincoln Electric as a mechanic for 27 years, retiring in 1978.
There was nothing he couldn't fix. He had more tools than Sears & Roebuck. If there wasn't a tool that did what he needed, he'd create one. His knowledge of power tools and hand tools was legendary. He could do anything mechanical or electrical. He could install plumbing. He was an excellent carpenter capable of ripping out countertops, cabinets and walls and building new ones. He was truly an amazingly gifted man who loved working with his hands and his tools. He enjoyed creating little things for us like heart-shaped candle holders and Christmas tree candle holders. We still have a large doll playpen that he made for two of us for Christmas back in 1955. How he loved his tools.
Being the mechanic that he was, he could fix any car - any make, any model, any year. How he loved cars.
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| Edwin Mugridge with son Tom ready to fly |
While anything mechanical was a passion of his, his other passion was flying. After his honorable discharge from the Navy, he took up pilot lessons. His pilot log books date back to 1946. He would usually fly a Cessna or a Piper Cub or a Cherokee. We remember times when he would charter a small plane and fly over our house on South Green. We'd stand out in the yard and jump up and down and wildly wave our arms at him. How he loved to fly.
And he loved to travel with our mom. After his retirement from Lincoln Electric, they did an incredible amount of traveling. They traveled through Europe visiting England, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain and Greece. They went to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, American Samoa, Barbados, Trinidad, Cozumel and the Bahamas. They took a 10-week cross country trip across the United States in 1980. How they loved to travel.
Their most frequented place? Hawaii - over and over again - how they loved Hawaii. He loved music - especially his old albums of big band music - Nelson Riddle, Glenn Miller, Guy Lombardo, Benny Goodman. He would play them over and over again on his beloved old stereo. He would sing along with his beautiful voice. Oh, how he loved his music.
He loved to dance and, while he taught us all how to cha-cha and fox trot, polka and waltz, his favorite partner, of course, was our mom. Often, one of us would stop by and find the two of them dancing to their favorite songs. How he loved to dance. But nothing holds a candle to his love for his family. His wife, his children, his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren were the center of his universe. He was a dedicated and loving father and took the time to make us all feel special and loved. He was patient and kind, understanding and wise. He taught us, by example, valuable lessons of life - to be honest and fair, truthful and considerate.
Our mother was the love of his life - his "first and only girlfriend" - his "Honey". We thought, for the longest time when we were each very young, that "Honey" was her name because we never, ever heard him call her anything but "Honey". On all of her cards - on all of her cakes - "Honey".
Every night when they went to bed, one said "I love you" to which the other said "I love you more" to which the first said "I love you most".
Love like theirs is a precious and rare treasure. Their love for and faith in each other proved a shining example of what love and life is all about. He was her life as she was his. Separated last year by her death after being together for 72 years, they are together again. May they rest in eternal peace.