Edwin Steven Newman, 85, of Palm Dale, CA.

Eddie was my parents first born, a boy they loved and welcomed.  He was the first child and he made them whole as a family.  Born in Wooster, Ohio to immigrant parents, raised in deep appreciation of all that America promised as they sought refuge from religious and economic persecution.   I was the second child, Linda, a girl just l6 months younger, who was a close playmate during our young lives.  Another son, Jerry followed.  The marriage floundered, divorce meant separation, and we moved into our grandparent’s home in Wooster.  Several times we lived in the San Fernando Valley as our father left the navy after WW2, and with several tries at making a living our parents were crushed with debt.   They couldn’t make a go of it.  My father was an artist, and took many project jobs like painting billboards before they were covered with premade ads, and painting scenery in the movie studios before outdoor light and scenes were used exclusively.  Our mother was a secretary when she could work outside the home.   After 8 years of disunity, our parents reunited and tried to re-form the family.  Another child, our sister Debbie was born, but the  second marriage didn’t survive.  Back to Wooster to our hometown again.

What was Eddie like?  He was quiet, tall, intellectual, very sweet looking.  We lived through many a snowy winter with games, sledding, and family life with our mother’s family offering the stability we each needed.  Wooster, a small town, and county seat in northeastern Ohio, was rich in agribusiness, and everyone seemed to have a job, a solid community with the comfort of knowing our teachers, neighbors, store owners, and town leaders.  Life was full of routines.  We walked to school, to the movies, and did our  chores.  Eddie mowed the lawn,  helped with the dishes, and made brownies for us.  We read a lot.  We played Monopoly, Uncle Wiggley,  and Canasta.  Eddie taught us poker.  The Amish community was ever present on weekends with their horses and buggies gathering in town on Saturdays to buy seed, dry goods to make their necessary clothing.  We thought we were like everybody else, though our grandparents spoke with accents.  We belonged to civic organizations that supported the good will of the town.  Eddie was a boy scout.

Eddie read the entire set of  Colliers Encyclopedia my mother bought for us.  He played chess with a sweet boy down the street.  We played croquet on the lawn, and raked the leaves every fall.  He loved Bob Hope’s jokes on TV.  After my parents remarried, we lived in Sherman Oaks and went to Van Nuys High School.  It was a lonely time.  Our parents struggled.  Eddie finished high school and signed up for the U.S. Army the day after he graduated.  Sent to Germany, he fortunately saw no active service, and after 4 years, he had saved enough money and benefits to enroll in USC, and majored in Philosophy and History.  He worked from 3-11PM after school to support himself.  He never complained.  We stayed in touch with each other but seldom saw each other, always living apart after he returned to Los Angeles.  USC became too expensive for him, and he transferred to UCLA, continuing in his majors,  and graduated.  He eventually joining the US Postal Service as a mailman in Beverly Hills.  Why?  He said he liked the exercise and the weather was good.  He rarely had a problem with dogs, and he liked being on his own.

After work and on weekends, he began building boats in glass bottles in his apartment in Northridge.  He became very skilled and moved on to two very large ships placed in museum size glass enclosures for his  l9th century ships.  Looking to make a contribution to the world, wanting to make it a better place, a Jewish value we were taught as children, gave us a sense of purpose. Eddie became interested and studied alternative energy themes as he sought to invent and patent his ideas and structures hoping they would make environmental improvements.

He sustained himself with the belief in possibilities.  Retiring from the postal service at 59, he lived another 27 years, passing away on June 13, 2026.  Though he never married and had no children, he cared about being a brother and friend, being a good neighbor and always a decent citizen.  His last 20 years living in his own home in Palmdale seemed peaceful and good fit for him, but his health failed.  I last saw him at our mother’s 90th birthday party where she lived the last three years of her life in Danville, Ca. Eddie drove up from Palmdale, and brought her an orchid corsage.  It was just right for her.  She used to raise orchids.  And she loved him very much.  As four siblings, we kept in touch with him, but had little time together.  Debbie lives outside Philadelphia.  Jerry passed away 6 years ago.  I have lived in San Francisco, and our parents and grandparents have all passed.  Eddie has asked to be buried in the Jewish section of Wooster Cemetery and that is where he will be layed to rest.  Thank you to all who knew him at the Gurdjieff Foundation who sustained him in the many struggles with illness and aging.  And thank you Louise for being so devoted to helping him when he sometimes suffered through his final illness.

Graveside services will be held at a later date in Wooster Cemetery.

McIntire, Bradham & Sleek Funeral Home, 216 E. Larwill St., Wooster is assisting the family.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.mcintirebradhamsleek.com