A life well lived – giving and receiving

Edmiston’s 100-year celebration was cause for two celebrations

Even at age 100, Ed Edmiston looms as a real Romeo.

To be clear, he’s one of the “ROMEOs” – Really Old Men Eating Out – a group of friends who gather regularly to eat and tell stories and comment on the issues of the day, surely offering solutions.

Edmiston is a lot of other things, too. Father, grandfather and great grandfather. Devout Catholic. World War II vet. Sports fan, leaning strongly to his alma mater, Oklahoma State. Workout warrior, insistent on putting in three miles on his stationary bike daily. And the kind of man who’s piled up friends and adorers along the way.

“It’s been a great life,” Edmiston said. “I’ve loved it.”

And he’s still loving it, with no real signs of slowing down or losing appeal.

For his 100th birthday on Oct. 3, a throng of friends and family gathered to join not one milestone celebration, but two: the first at a new restaurant the family has opened – Carletti’s, where County Line and Gabriella’s used to treat diners – and the second at the Founders Tower.

Both were festive events featuring much love and many commendations, including one from Pope Leo.

“The good Lord decided to keep me on,” said Edmiston, who was a longtime parishioner at Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church, before moving to Christ The King to attend with family.

And this could go on a while, joked Gina Foxhoven, one of his grandchildren and the mastermind behind the celebration.

“My papa jokes that he's sticking around until I'm married,” she said, “to which I always reply that he might be alive another 50 years at this rate – which I love!”

Edmiston’s story is a life well lived.

In the Army Air Corp, he was a gunner on B-17 bombers, served with the Emergency Rescue Squadron and flew missions into Okinawa, Iwo Jima other locales. He helped evacuate the wounded, transported prisoners and delivered servicemen home following the war.

Back in Oklahoma, he attended OSU – then Oklahoma A&M – where he met his future wife, Dolores Ravaioli. Together they had six children, who grew the family with 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

While he lost Dolores in 2012, he carries her memory sweetly.

“We were married for more than 50 years,” he said. “I was blessed to have her. We had six children and they’re all very, very good people. We had a very exciting life, traveling and growing a family.”

It’s that kind of adoration that prompted Dolores to offer Foxhoven some solid advice.

“When my nonna passed away in 2012, she made me promise her several things. One of which was to ‘find a husband that treats you as good as Papa treats me,’” she recalls. “Since her passing, I've developed an amazing relationship with my papa and committed myself to ensure he doesn't ever feel lonely, forgotten or ‘too old’ to try new things.

“This time together has shown me how much my nonna's promise truly weighed. Papa is a devout, wise, joyful, kind gentleman. The bar is high and the shoes are big. I guess that's why I still haven't been able to fulfill that promise! But I'm grateful to have such a wonderful role model in my corner.”

Ed considered the priesthood for a bit, but met Dolores, got married and embarked on a successful career in the oil business. His most impactful mark, however, may have come in his volunteer work, with Saint Vincent de Paul, the Oklahoma Heart Hospital and elsewhere.
And he’s a good listener, too.

“When I'm in need of advice, sound encouragement, or prayer – I know who to call,” Foxhoven said. “My papa's faith is not just important to him, it is who he is. Since he struggles with hearing and sometimes can't sleep at night – he says he simply sits in prayer. He prays for his family, his friends, and everything important to him. He is grateful and a devout son of God.”

And, he said, a blessed son of God.

“You know, with these 100 years the Lord has given me, I've been blessed many times. You think, ‘My gosh, why am I still around.’ I feel like I've done everything, as far as living, working different jobs.

“But mostly, I've been blessed with a family that really has taken care of me.”

John Helsley is editor of the Sooner Catholic.

Ed Edmiston, who turned 100 in October, said he is blessed by his large family and so many treasured friendships. Photos provided.