Edward Jake Neufeldt passed away August 11, 2008 at the Portland Veterans Hospital.

Memorial Services are planned for 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 19, 2008 at Anderson’s Tribute Center. A reception and time to celebrate his life will immediately follow at the Pine Grove Fire House in which all are invited to join his family.

Edward J. Neufeldt, son of J. K. (Jake) Neufeldt and Annie Wiebe Neufeldt, was born January 2, 1920 at 1108 Stump Street in Dallas, Oregon. He lived there only a few years before the family moved to a farm near Houston, Texas. Ed had five brothers and five sisters. To support the family, they raised cotton, corn, farm animals, and a large garden. His father also worked at a local grocery store. Sometimes Ed, as a small boy, would go with him and spend the day. A special apron, matching the adults’, was made to fit him and was hung on the rack with others’ at quitting time. He would accompany his father on the delivery truck too, and later Ed made the deliveries by himself. Ed graduated from Tavener High School and completed two years of college. Once as a boy, Ed attended a church function that had a young musical group with “assorted” instruments. Ed, playing a juice harp, began to play "When the Saints Come Marching In." Soon everyone was up and dancing, playing the same song over and over again---all in a church that didn't allow dancing.

Ed enlisted in the Marines on August 27, 1941 in Houston to serve for four years. He trained in San Diego, California. After Pearl Harbor, he was sent to Guadalcanal; also known by the code name, "Cactus". He landed right after the Japanese bombing of Henderson Field, being the first one out of his squadron to arrive. He was a Tech Sgt--Line Chief in the Dive Bomber Squadron, VMSB 132, in the First Air Wing that landed October 20, 1942. A few months later, he was blown out of a fox hole by a nearby exploding bomb and received a lower back injury. Soon after, he had an operation that doctors had never done before. He spent a year in a convalescent hospital at Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

While on Guadalcanal the food was scarce. A soup was made of dried vegetables, and sometimes chopped up SPAM, of which he couldn't stand the smell. He chose to live on coconuts and bananas from the jungle. The Army, based on the other end of the island, had plenty of canned food and supplies. Later he "commandeered" a beat up jeep, removed any identifying marks, and he and some buddies drove to the Army depot and "borrowed" as much food as they could load into the jeep. They took supplies like gallon cans of peaches, cooking oil, flour, and canned meats. He told of making donuts with some of the cooking oil, and remarked, "What a treat."

Ed was honorably discharged for medical reasons from the Marines in Philadelphia on November 24, 1943. While Ed was in the service his parents and family had moved to Salem, Oregon. Soon after he returned to Salem he met his future wife, Lois Hammer, during a blind date to a group wiener roast. She, a senior in high school, was a little wary at first. In the meantime, he went to work for Safeway, Inc. as a clerk. He later advanced to a relief manager after a few months. Ed and Lois became engaged shortly after. In the spring of 1946, he was offered a job as store manager in Coquille, Oregon, if he could improve the business in two weeks. In two weeks, he doubled the gross amount. He had accumulated some cases of Crisco, sugar, and other hard items to get during the war and made big displays. After Lois graduated from Salem High School on a Wednesday, and three days later, June 1st, they were married. They moved to Coquille, where they had two sons, Roger and Douglas.

Ed was a member of the Toastmasters and the Coquille Active Club, a philanthropic group for men ages 39 and under. While an Active Club member, the group had a raffle for a washing machine (in 1946, due to war efforts, electric appliances were very hard to come by). Ed bought the remaining tickets he had on the last day before the raffle. At 9:00 pm there was a knock on the door telling him that he had won the washing machine. After that, NO member was allowed to win. Ed and Lois, being new parents, made good use of the "Launderal"--which shook their little house every time it went into a spin.

Ed loved to fish, catching his first salmon in the Coquille River in 1947. He had his own version of fly fishing. By dangling the line from a high bridge, built for logging, he caught trout and striped bass most every time near Coos Bay.

In 1953, Ed was offered a manager position at The Dalles Safeway. During the building of The Dalles Dam, with road and railroad construction, business was good. The store had the highest volume of all the Safeway stores during that time period. In 1955, they had a baby daughter, Peggy Jo. In 1958, Ed and Lois bought The Boys’ Pine Grove Grocery on Highway 35 in Hood River, before the present highway was reconstructed. The family operated the store until they sold it and retired in 1976.

Ed loved and catered to all the local little kids, giving them bubble gum or candy treats. He enjoyed their antics and may have even helped guide a few to being honest citizens as he made them understand that "taking" things without paying had its penalties. Many times these offenders would have to sweep the parking lot or report back to him on a weekly basis to see if he or she had been in trouble. A few mothers marched their youngsters back, with items in hand, to apologize. One little boy “on parole” came sobbing in to say he couldn't come that week because his parents were taking him to the coast. "Mr. Ed," as the kids called him, told him to go with his family and have a good time, but to report back to him when his family got home, which he did.

Ed and Lois took ballroom dancing lessons from Loren and Marianne Fletcher for several years. They were members of the Carousel Dance Club and the 100 Club, a formal dance group. They even took a cruise to Mexico and taught ballroom dancing lessons. Ed loved to play golf with the Thursday night group and his foursome. He won and placed in several tournaments. He even won an electric golf cart with one of his two “holes in one.” He liked to build small wooden craft items for family gifts. Ed also enjoyed his four-wheeler and later his electric cart for transportation.

After retirement they trailered to San Carlos, Mexico for 21 winters, staying four to five months each year until 2002. They traveled closer to home then as Ed's health began to fail. Later they had to drive to Gresham three times a week for dialysis treatments. This continued for six months until an opening in the new Providence Ray T. Yasui Dialysis Center in Hood River became available.

Ed truly loved all his children and grandchildren, each for their individual qualities. He enjoyed watching them mature and then raise their own families. The grandchildren all enjoyed his many stories of his early family life and his many experiences during World War II. He told stories of the many times he caught shoplifters stealing merchandise from his grocery stores, including the interesting antics they pulled to make off with the goods. He reminisced about pranks he and his employees pulled on each other as well as how he rigged peep holes to spy on those who helped themselves to goods or cash from the money drawer, catching them in the act. Ed had a great sense of humor which he maintained until the end. Even during his last days at the hospital when nurses gave him potassium through the drip system, (knowing that potassium is a “no- no” for dialysis patients), thirty seconds after he found out what he was given he said, “I could have had a banana!” (which everyone knows is high in potassium.)

Ed is survived by his loving wife, Lois, of 62 years, sons Roger and wife Ada; Douglas and wife Darlene; daughter Peggy Jo Leslie and husband Steve all of Hood River; Grandchildren, Jane Osborne and husband Joel of Hood River, Teresa Ellifritz and husband Larry of Hood River, Jason Neufeldt and wife Alisa of San Diego, CA; Stefanie Hughes and husband Bob of Middleton, ID, and Chase Drum and Grant Drum of Hood River; five great grandchildren, Cailey and Madeline Hughes, Alex and Emilie Ellifritz, and Aaron Osborne; Sisters Mary Prebilsky of Salem, OR; Vivian Benton of Waelder, TX; Anna Mae Lee and husband Perry of Salome, AZ; Brothers Bill Neufeldt and wife Shirley of Salem, OR and Tex Neufeldt and wife Charlene also of Salem, OR; and several nieces and nephews. Also surviving is Ed’s mother-in-law, Florence Hammer, at age nearing 102 in October also of Hood River, OR.

Preceding him in death were his parents, his brothers, Raymond Neufeldt of Nashville, TN, Roy Neufeldt of Tucson, AZ, and Robert Neufeldt of Salem, OR, as well as his sisters, Alice Drachenburg of Rosenberg, TX and Patsy Barker of Salem, OR.

Our family would like to extend our gratitude to everyone for their gracious support and special kindness to our family. A special thank you goes to the Willis Family. We especially appreciate Mike, who has selflessly mowed our dusty field when needed and shared all the beautiful fruit, especially the pears, as that was one fruit Ed could eat and enjoy while on dialysis. We would also like to thank the dialysis nurses and staff for their special care as well as the CAT bus drivers who transported Ed to and from his treatments. A big applause goes to Herb Good and Company for preparing a great meal for us all to enjoy during our celebration of Ed’s life.

Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Edward J. Neufeldt to either the Ray T. Yasui Dialysis Center or the Pine Grove Fire Department and may be sent in care of Anderson's Tribute Center (Funerals, Receptions, Cremations), 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, OR 97031. Please visit www.andersonstributecenter.com to view and print the obituary and sign the guest book for family.