Edwin H. Gehricke

Edwin Harold Gehricke died May 15, 2012 in Milford, New Hampshire. He was born at home in Ridgewood, NY, the son of Ernst and Barbara Gehricke. Growing up in a predominantly German neighborhood before the onset of WWII, Ed was caught up in the rivalry that existed between the pro-Hitler Bund and anti-Hitler German Socialist Workers Party. Eds parents belonged to the anti-Hitler faction, and the age of 12 Ed was the drummer in a band that traveled by motorcycle to play for the groups scheduled events. Since the bands instruments were stolen from Hitler Youth and smuggled out of Germany, the pro-Hitler Bund was actively trying to regain them. Street fights were common. For self-defense, Ed and the band members were trained in jujutsu. During the Great Depression, Eds mechanical aptitude and natural creativity enabled him to make do with what little he had. By the age of 16 he owned a car and a motorcycle, all without the knowledge of his parents. He had a passion for machines that would continue throughout his life. Distinguished by his meticulous attention to detail, Ed worked as a tool and die maker during high school, at the same time earning academic achievement awards. He surprised his mom by driving her to his graduation in a brand new convertible. After graduation his brother Fred introduced him to the love of his life, Violet Leibbrand. Violets childhood dream was to be an aviatrix, and Eds was to be a fighter pilot. Though warned by friends that Ed was “too wild to settle down”, they became engaged, and Ed enlisted in the Navy shortly thereafter. Ed and Violet were married when he returned from bootcamp in 1943. He was 19 years old. Ed and Violet criss-crossed the country while he served in the Navy. While stationed in MN, Ed partly realized his dream to fly. He piloted planes on training flights over frozen Minnesota lakes, where residents played soccer with weather balloons on the ice. Sent to the Philipines on a military transport plane, the Marshall Mars, Ed was on board when it went down in the Pacific. Late in life, Ed was considered an expert on this aircraft. The last surviving example, the Martin Mars, has been converted for fighting wildfires on the west coast. While stationed in California, their son Richard was born. After discharge, the family drove from Alameda, California, home to New York, in a 1941 Studebaker Ed restored to make the trip. They traveled in the time before construction of the interstate highway system, on state and unpaved roads through Washington State, Yellowstone Park and the Rocky Mountains. Ed documented the journey with his camera. Given $159.65 travel allowance by the Navy, they crossed the George Washington Bridge into NY with a half dollar to spare. During a major snowstorm in 1949, Ed charged through unplowed snow in his 1941 Plymouth to bring Violet to the hospital where their daughter Carol was born. Later, they moved to a rented house in Coram, NY, equipped with outdoor plumbing and a kerosene stove. After a tree demolished the house during Thanksgiving dinner, they moved several more times before purchasing their slice of the American dream, a new house in Copiague, NY. Ed was working as a tool designer for a small company. His talent and extensive knowledge of machines combined with his winning personality resulted in him branching off into marketing and sales. Eds work took him to France, Germany, Thailand, Malaysia and Lebanon. Everywhere he went he took his camera, and his albums are filled with photos. In Thailand he was detained by the police for questioning and released after the US Embassy intervened. Apparently a tall handsome man in a suit is presumed to be a spy! In the years before retirement Ed and Violet lived in East Northport, NY, where Ed indulged his passion for restoring cars. They also collected antiques and refinished furniture, traveling as far as Canada in their 1967 VW camper to buy and resell in NY. After retirement they moved to Vermont and sold antiques on weekends. During the week they volunteered at the Brattleboro Senior Center and delivered for Meals on Wheels. Ed lived his life to the fullest, with boundless curiosity, creativity and love. An enthusiastic cheerleader for his children, he saw the good in everyone he knew. He dearly loved his wife of 62 years, Violet, and missed her terribly when she died. His most memorable characteristics were his sense of wonder and adventure. Ed is survived by his brother Fred; his son Richard; his daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Frank Mannarino; his grandchildren Jennifer, Richard, Matthew, Daniel and April; his great-grandchildren Mercedes, Devon, Logan, Audrey Rose, Marcas and Christopher; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Ed and Violet will be interred together at the Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, NY. A donation in Eds memory may be made to the National Wildlife Federation.