Edward Leland Golden

Edward Leland Golden January 7, 1924 - July 6, 2013 Parents are Gomera Edward Golden and Lillian Verle (Pease) Golden. He is survived by children William Golden (Sharon), Bonnie Golden Bowles (Ray), Debbie Golden (Doug Marshall); grandchildren Marci Golden and Julie Golden Burke (Tyler), Ryan Samarripas (Lucy) and Katie Samarripas; great grandchildren Kaylynn Golden, Leilah Burke, Makena Burke, Braelyn Samarripas. Born in Los Angeles, California on January 7, 1924, Ed grew up in the Highland Park area of LA, graduating from Franklin High School in 1942. Although he wanted to volunteer for military service shortly after December 7, 1941, his father wisely would not allow him to enter the US Navy until after he had graduated from high school. Shortly after enlisting, Ed was on a blind date in Bakersfield with a buddy and his girlfriend when he met Mae Belle Adkisson, who liked him right away because he was shy, had a nice smile and a fun sense of humor. They were able to see each other only two weekends a month but wrote scores of letters in between. Ed proposed to Mae on their fourth date, her father gave them his blessing, and they were married in the First Methodist Church, Little Chapel of Sacred Memories in Bakersfield on November 21, 1943. Because it was wartime and gasoline was rationed, very few people could travel to attend the wedding. In fact, Ed's parents drove them in their 1929 Model A Ford to their honeymoon at the Hotel Clark in Los Angeles before Ed shipped back out to sea. War and Navy assignments caused them to wait 6 years to have their first child, William Lee Golden, who was born in Bakersfield because Mae wanted to be near her parents while Ed was stationed overseas. Two years later came Bonnie Louise Golden whose middle name honors Louise, the arranger of that fateful blind date. Debbie Ann Golden was born in 1954, and the family was complete. Our family moved every two years or so due to changing military assignments but this was always accepted as "normal" and we were able to live in some interesting and unique locales. In fact, we were living in a hotel in Waikiki when Hawaii became the 50th state! After 20 years in the Navy, Ed finally went to college to earn a teaching credential and pursue his second career as a school teacher. He was able to directly impact the lives of hundreds of kids during his 20 years as an elementary school teacher. Possibly influenced by his military career, he ran a disciplined classroom but the students always thrived. He was president of the Lamont Teachers Association and was active for many years with the YMCA "Y's Men", volunteering during fireworks and Christmas tree sales and ushering during all kinds of events at the Bakersfield Civic that he probably wouldn't have otherwise attended. Ed and Mae were also host parents to four different foreign exchange students from Austria, Denmark, Phillipines, and El Salvador. Ed's career as a school teacher allowed for extended camping trips every summer, when the whole family would spend the entire month of August camping in the cool of the High Sierra, hiking, fishing, hosting campfires and feeding hordes of hungry boyfriends, girlfriends and scout leaders from Camp Kern on the weekends. After 20 years of teaching he finally settled into a real retirement with Mae: traveling, still camping, gardening, and spoiling grandkids. Mae passed away in 2006, leaving Ed the difficult task of living without his lifelong partner of 62 years. As a father, I can remember him teaching me to write while drying me off after a bath by tracing letters in the fogged mirror in the bathroom of our trailer. I can remember him teaching me that every job, no matter how seemingly insignificant should be done well. He taught all three of us a strong work ethic, and the importance of being a good leader by knowing and doing your job well and taking care of your people. Ed went peacefully to join Mae on July 6th after a fall and a brief illness. Husband, father, grandpa, WWII veteran, career Navy, career school teacher; another member of "The Greatest Generation" has left us but is not forgotten. Memorial Services will be held on Saturday, July 20, 2013, at 11:00 AM, in the Chapel of First United Methodist Church, 4600 Stockdale Hwy. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wounded Warriors (www.woundedwarriorproject.org) or to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation (www.macular.org). www.bakersfield.com/obits