From: Patty Emerson

10-2-4–Perhaps one needs to be of a certain age to know what those numbers actually mean; however, to me they will eternally remind me of my dear brother, Edward! He was grown when my younger brother David and I “came along.” While David and I were still not even school age, he came from Louisville to spend a few days at home. He told us that in order to be healthy, one must drink a Dr. Pepper three times daily at, you guessed it, 10, 2, and 4. Since we were among the fortunate few who could lay claim to an old time general store right across the road, he took us three times daily (at those times on the dot) to get a Dr. Pepper. Of course that was a super treat to little kids and a fine memory for us; incidentally, that may well have been my first and last series of Dr. Pepper. When he came home with his family I knew we were in for a fine time—croquet was a favorite of his, but I liked it best when he brought out the Jeopardy board game. He was the very BEST—we’d just snap those crickets trying to answer, but he was so “quick on the draw” that we did not stand a chance. What a trivia buff and what a memory! In later years, we talked at length on country music, books, Creston (our hometown) stories, and family tales. Of course his favorite subject was the pride he took in his beloved wife, son, granddaughter, and daughter-in-law. He also greatly enjoyed listening to his nephew and nephew-in-law pick and sing country tunes at family gatherings. Our family size has sadly been reduced, but his zest for life will be forever remembered. Much love and fond memories to our entire family in this parting. Perhaps, Edward, you will awaken to see “Amarillo by Morning” or maybe just the beautiful springtime hills and hollers of Casey County—whatever your view, I do believe it will be Celestial and you’re gonna love it! Your sister, Patty Kay

From: Priscilla Badgett

March 28, 2019 When Edward was in Korea, our family looked forward to going across the road to the post office to see if we had mail from him. One morning I went to pick up the mail...there were 2 letters from him! I gave one to Mother to read while I was going to read the other. Fortunately,she read the one that read: Just to let you know I'm COMING HOME! Needless to say, many happy tears were shed. There are so many wonderful memories I could share....Saturday morning phone calls,talks about the past,and always mentioned country music,sports, books, and he ALWAYS asked how my family members were doing. I loved the fact that I got to spend his last minutes with him and told him over and over how much I loved him. I know you and Kenneth are busy talking about THE NCAA tournament. Love you...your sister, Priscilla

From: Emily

I am very sorry for your loss. May you find comfort in the promise God gives us for the future, that He will soon end all reasons for distress, even sickness and death. (Revelation 21:4)

From: Marie Mile

I would like to express my condolences for your loss. There will come a time when death and mourning will be no more. (Revelation 21:3,4) This is what our loving God, Jehovah, has promised. We also have the hope of seeing our loved ones again. (John 5:28,29) May those verses bring you some comfort in your time of mourning.

From: Melissa Cooper

This is the eulogy I gave at Ed’s memorial service: for Edward On my Twitter account, I have a statement that I speak only for myself. And that is what I am doing today Opinions expressed here are solely my own. No one including Peggy, Eric and Courtney have any idea what I will say. Buckle up I first knew Ed when he was a church deacon at First Christian Church just a few doors over from here. during the 1980s, he was one of the men who passed offering plates and communion elements to the congregation in the pews Most Sundays when I was in church I played the piano during offertory so he didn’t always serve me, but usually if I was in the pews I could count on him and his smiling face as he sent the plate down my row. He always managed to get assigned to my row, come to think of it. HMMMM. And that was the extent of our acquaintance for awhile. And no, I had no idea then that he would eventually become my father-in-law. I didn’t get to know him personally until Eric and I began dating in 1991. Over the course of Sunday dinners that year, and the next year leading up to the wedding, we found a lot of common ground. He was born and raised in Creston, Kentucky on Highway 70 in Casey County, and 15 miles or so to the west in Taylor County, in Acton, between Mannsville and Campbellsville, was where my dad, Sam Phillips came from. Ed’s father, Everett, had surveyed land for Daddy back in the 1970s. He knew I had an uncle who was president of Lindsey Wilson College during that era, and later we would discover Ed’s sister and brother-in-law, Priscilla and Tony, were neighbors and friends to my moms cousins David and Betty Gaines in Frankfort. I could go on and on about the connections we found in our extended families and life experiences but those are the ones that I remember the most. Ed and my daddy were only in the same room a handful of times but they always talked like old friends, because they knew so many of the same people and had similar experiences growing up on the same stretch of road. There was one significant difference. Dad lived in Taylor County all his life, but Ed left down home for the Army, and when he came back to Kentucky, he landed in Louisville, where he worked for General Electric. during those early years, he and his brother Kenneth had a whole lot of fun on the town, just being brothers and young men. Louisville was also where he met Peggy. They moved to Underwood on the Indiana side of the river after Eric was born, and I have often thought how that move changed a lot of lives. Had they not done that and I had not moved to Scottsburg after college, Eric and I would not have met. Scientists call the ripple effects of events like this the butterfly effect. I choose to think of it as God’s plan. Ed and I sometimes talked about being Kentucky transplants to Indiana and what was the same and what was different, what we missed (being close to extended family) and what we didn’t miss (curvy treacherous roads). I liked living in town after having seen enough of those awful country roads but Ed was different. . . Ed worked in the city and was a country boy at home, raising apples and other crops and tending land like they do down home in Casey County, getting involved with church and bowling leagues when he wasn’t busy with family and farming. He liked sitting on the patio in the summer when the roses and geraniums were in full bloom and just enjoy the day. Often one of the dogs, Gus first, and later Amy and then Cindy, would hang out with him, along with a succession of cats whose names I no longer remember. currently Sharlene and Fluffy are in residence. Gus was the furriest Cocker Spaniel I have ever seen, and such a sweet dog. He always told me about Gus’ visits to the vet in Salem. They would stop at McDonalds drivethrough and get him a Big Mac for being a good dog at the doctors . The story never changed and I never got tired of hearing it. Over the years when we visited, our conversations covered everything from bowling to baseball to books. He and I had some fun talks about the Cincinnati Reds’ glory years of the 1970s, when they were the Big Red Machine and not the Little Red Wagon, the latest history book from David Mccullough, old classics from Louis L’Amour and Larry Mc Murtrey, and newer works from Silas House, Debbie Macomber and John Grisham. We both especially enjoyed Grisham’s “Surviving Christmas.” Maybe you have seen the movie it inspired: Christmas with the Kranks. The book was better. No, really, it was. More often than not, he would ask for books for Christmas, so he was really easy to buy for in that respect. To many of us who knew him, he was truly one of the smartest people we knew. He read newspapers and books and he always looked to learn something new each new day. He loved history. When Courtney was still in grade school and the US Treasury issued new quarters honoring the 50 states, he bought her a map with slots to hold the quarters, and over time she got all 50 slots filled. And yes, he filled a good many of them for her. When she was getting ready to go to college and needed quarters for the laundry, he and Peggy gave her enough quarters to last her for several months! Courtney no longer needs quarters for the laundry but I can’t help myself. I still have a Mason jar on our back porch and still save quarters just like he did. It is a tradition I plan to keep. He made really delicious meatballs. Oh mercy. I have no idea how he got started with that, or what all went into the recipe, just that I have yet to taste any others that are even half as good . Both Eric and Courtney got to help him make them several times and hopefully they remember how it’s done. We did not often talk about politics or our Christian faith and we didn’t agree on every small issue, but Ed and I were always in agreement that we needed to be responsible and informed citizens and to respect people who saw things differently. With politics, neither of us had ever seen anyone get argued into seeing things our way. And with our Christian faith, we both came to the conclusion that it was good to live our lives in such a way that people could see what we believed, what we stood for and hopefully want to be at least little bit more like us as a result. So from now on every time I smell roses in summer, plant geraniums in May, savor hot apple pie in autumn, listen to Elvis Presley’s music,visit a baseball park, or read yet another history book, I will remember Ed and hope and pray that I am living more than ”just a little bit” like him. Godspeed, Ed Love, Melissa