Obituary for Carl Eddy Jr

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Life Story for Carl Eddy Jr

Carl Eddy was born July 12, 1935 in Orofino, Idaho to parents Carl Sr. and Alma. He grew up with two younger sisters Barbara and Lila. He also had a half-brother Duffy who was a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War, where he was shot down during a rescue mission. Carl’s parents were often gone at night working, leaving him to feed and care for his young sisters. His parents were divorced when he was 12 years old and soon after he was sent to live with his grandmother in Corpus Cristi, Texas. Grandma was pretty tough on him, requiring him to attend school, keep grades up and work as a car hop to help with the finances. Carl was a good student consistently earning top grades and graduating from High School at age 16.

Soon after graduation, he joined the Air Force and was trained in London, England as a radio operator. After completing his military duty, he was honorably discharged. Carl decided to attend Baylor University in Waco, Texas to study ministry. During this time he was very active in the local Baptist Church as a scout and youth leader. In 1956, he and a couple friends decided to drive to Alaska in search of jobs, personal fortunes and new adventures. One of their very first adventures was running out of money and having to sleep in their car. As luck or divine intervention would have it, a local Pentecostal preacher saw the boys sleeping and invited them to stay in his home until they could find work. Within a week Carl was hired by the local post office as a route carrier. Unfortunately for his two friends, things didn’t work out as hoped and they soon headed back to Texas.

Carl had started attending the local Pentecostal church where his greatest fortunes would be found in a beautiful brunette named Rosemary Farmer. By the end of their first summer, they were engaged and ready to start a life together. Lucille Farmer, Rose’s mother, had a stipulation before she would give her blessing. The two must drive from Alaska, all the way to Albuquerque, New Mexico so she could meet this young man and size him up before they could get married. They arrived on a Friday, were married Saturday night and within days were on their way back to Alaska. After many moves, the family finally settled down in San Diego, California where they raised 3 boys (Dave, Ken and Steve). Carl owned a computer business in the early days when a disk drive was as large as 4 pizzas and it took many of them to run a single program. At one point or another, the whole family was involved in the business as keypunch machine operators, stuffing envelopes and peeling labels. As the boys grew, Rose wanted to explore her educational opportunities at the local college and within a few years had her degree as a dietitian…graduating with a 3.9 GPA. Soon after her graduation, Rose and Carl moved to Hood River, Oregon to be around Rose’s sister Anne and her mother Lucille. Lucille or “Grandma Farmer” as most folks knew her had just returned from the mission fields of Ecuador and Israeli.

Carl suffered a major stroke in 2004. Before the stroke, he had led a very active life having run a marathon and many 5&10K races. After several months, he regained some energy and strength and was able to be active again, albeit at a more reserved pace. He continued to play golf, riding in a cart, sometimes only able to take half swings and putt. But what mattered to him most was that he was doing it with family and friends. He also continued to fish, often needing help into and out of the boat. What a thrill it was reeling in a large salmon even if he couldn’t stand. Again, he loved being around his family. He had more small strokes until the big one right before Christmas 2017. Just before he passed away on December 21st, his family had looked out the window and saw the most beautiful Lenticular cloud just above Mt. Adams. A few seconds later, he took his last breath.

Some months before his passing, he had started attending Truth Tabernacle with Rose on a fairly regular basis. Pastor Edday was impressed and announced from the pulpit that if Carl would attend 6 straights weeks, he would take his tie off and give it to him during the service. This was a challenge not to be missed. Carl actually attended 8 straights weeks right before he passed away and earned that tie.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00am on Saturday June 2, 2018 at Truth Tabernacle Church (1331 Tucker Road Hood River, OR 97031). A reception will immediately follow.

Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center (Funerals • Receptions • Cremations) 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.