lvin Eddie
born: Paris, Lamar, Texas
July 30, 1914
died: Fresno, Fresno, California
January 27, 1997
married: September 11, 1937
Fern Velma Borders
children:
Billie Jeanne
Betty Jean b.1940 d. 1941
burial : Sanger Cemetery
Sanger, Fresno, California
Al was the type of man you would describe to as a " Jack of all trades". Few things he tackled ever got the best of him, and it's a shame that he didn't get the chance of a formal education to bring his potential to it's full measure. The era and area of his youth didn't give a choice, but to learn that hard work and imagination were the only ways he would survive. To him, the job was never to lowly , deserving of a 100% of his effort. He learned the lesson of making your on way in the world with the knowledge that it is prideful to look down on any honest work and that a dollar earned honestly, makes a man feel good about himself and able to look any person in the eye without apology. At a time when jobs were scarce, his talents, imagination and personality became his way of making the honest dollar. This is a gift he left his heirs.
Al worked at any job that would give him the means to support his family ; farm labor, field hand, service station attendant. Working on the land was Al's forte, where he was the happiest, no matter the job. He worked many of the orchards, vineyards and ranches around the Fresno/Madera/Sanger areas of California's San Joaquin Valley.
Fern Borders
His wife,
, was born and raised in Sanger and they were married September 9, 1937. They had
three children, 2 daughters and a son. Their second daughter, Betty Jean, died before her first birthday from birth complications
During World War II, Al moved his wife and daughter to Antioch's Bethel Island, in the delta area of San Francisco, working at the air fields on various jobs found around the military bases. Moving back to the San Joaquin Valley after the war, he went back to the vinyards and orchards.
His natural gift for horticulter could make you stand in awe of what a man can do with a little dirt, manure, seed and imagination. None of his descendants should worry about starving, if they listened and paid attention. His own gardens produced abundently, big or small, enough that fresh vegetables were sent home with any that came to visit. His gardens were always picture perfect, showing his love and talent.
All my sons learned to appreciate nature, plants and horticulter working with their grandfather during the summer and week-ends at his lawn service business he started when age prevented him from working as he always had
In his retirement years, he developed a passion for yard sales and flea markets that developed into his starting his own flea market spot and his week-ends would be spent trading, selling and bartering with people. He enjoyed the people and conversations that came his way and another way to make a dollar
I'm sure Al would have preferred not to have participated in one of the lessons he bestowed upon us, but it is probably the most important. Al suffered from Alcoholism and the bad times that this desease caused were as devasting for him as they were anyone else.
Those who suffered through the pain, destruction, havoc and chaos, created during the bad times, have let this over shadow the fact that it is a potential danger to this line. We were blessed to be given the fore knowledge of its exsistence as a threat to our children.. The outcome of any potential danger depends on the use of fore knowledge.
To any whose lineage carries this gene........ I have a question;
Have you took heed of what you know or have you repeated the actions that caused the pain you endured? Have you ever questioned if the drink you're about to par take of is the one that will pull the trigger of Alcoholism or have you looked at yourself with the same eyes and heart you judged with ? You know the dangers and outcomes.....is the chance worth taking?
Please use your gift wisely.
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