George Edward Wilburn EASTMAN May 19, 1888 - October 14, 1975 You are here: Photo Albums • EASTMAN • George Edward Wilburn George, the youngest child of Elizabeth (LUTZ) and Mark Hamilton EASTMAN, was born in Sparta, Michigan. He was named after his uncle, George Edward WILBURN (see photo below), who was his mother's sister's husband. Apparently his parents ended their marriage during his teen years after his older siblings had left home. George stayed at home and helped his mother. One month before his 31st birthday, George married 20 year old Edna Selma Pauline SONSMITH who lived across the street. He used to take her out on dates in South Saginaw by riding in his shiny buggy. This fancy vehicle had red wheels and was pulled by "Maude" the horse. George often told people, "Before I married Edna, I had so many women in the buggy, I had to ride the horse!" The buggy was his pride and joy until he got his first car. Then he had no use for Maude and asked his father-in-law, Louis SONSMITH, to shoot the horse! George and Edna had three sons: Lloyd George (born in 1920), Kenneth Charles (born in 1923), and Clare Louis (born in 1925). These children were raised on farms in Freeland and Indiantown, Michigan. One day, a sign with advertising on it had been painted in the corner of the cow pasture. The grass surrounding the sign had paint dripped on it. The cows ate this grass, and the whole herd died. This forced the Eastman family to leave the farm and move to Saginaw. George worked for a while at an International Harvester dealer servicing tractors and farm equipment then got a job at Eaton, Yale and Town as a machinist. He worked at Eaton until retirement. George was a big baseball fan and loved to listen to the Detroit Tigers' games. He also took many afternoon naps, but he was somehow able to keep track of the baseball score even while napping. He was a jokester and loved to turn words around: huckleberries were buckle herries, sugar beets were bugar sheets, teddy bears were betty tears, strawberries were braw sterries, Santy Claus was Canty Slaus, and of course, butterflys were flutter bys. He also liked to grab and squeeze children's knees, poke them in the ribs, and heat up the lid of his Zippo lighter and jab it at people. George usually smoked a pipe, but sometimes lit up a cigarette or cigar. He had a strong dislike for cats and claimed to have shot over 20 of them during one year in St. Helen, Michigan using his old double barrel shotgun. He said, "If they come into my yard and lay down, they'll never get back up again." Maybe he was a frustrated hunter as he never seemed to get a buck even though he went deer hunting almost every year. It seems that all of his smoking and coughing kept the deer away. George and Edna celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary together in 1969. At 85 his health had deteriorated to a point where he had to be moved to the Hoyt nursing home on Weiss Street in Saginaw, where he passed away at age 87. ~Written by George's grandson, Wayne EASTMAN, based on remembrances and facts gathered from George's sons, Lloyd, Ken, and Clare EASTMAN, and his sister-in-law, Meta (SONSMITH) ROYAL. Photo Gallery George Edward WILBURN - George's uncle who he was named after George in 1889 or 90 early 1890's 1908 - age 20 April 19, 1919 George and Edna on their wedding day George and Maude the horse More Photos of George >>

Jump to any section!-------------------------------------- Home Surname IndexPhoto AlbumsWhat's New?Sign/View GuestbookDownload GEDCOMAboutContactWeb Design     Birth: 19 May 1888, Sparta, Michigan Death: 14 Oct 1975, Saginaw, Michigan Burial: 17 Oct 1975, Saginaw, Michigan - Roselawn Memorial Gardens Social Security Number: 369-10-1701 (issued in Michigan) Occupation: Farmer and International Harvester Retirement: 1956, Eaton Corp. (worked here for 13 years) Father: Mark Hamilton EASTMAN Mother: Elizabeth LUTZ Siblings: Charles Amhurst EASTMAN John L. EASTMAN Mary Emily EASTMAN Marriage: Edna Selma Pauline SONSMITH - 19 Apr 1919, Michigan Children: Lloyd George EASTMAN Kenneth Charles EASTMAN Clare Louis EASTMAN     Saginaw News April 1969 Mr. and Mrs. George E. W. Eastman, St. Helen, formerly of Saginaw, will mark their golden wedding anniversary at an open house at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the LFA Hall, Bay City. The party will be hosted by their children and spouses, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth C. Eastman, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd G. Eastman, and Mr. and Mrs. Clare L. Eastman, all of Saginaw. The former Edna Sonsmith was born Aug. 17, 1898 in Worth, Mich. Mr. Eastman was born in Sparta, May 19, 1888. They were married here April 19, 1919. They have eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Mr. Eastman retired May, 1956, after 14 years with Eaton Yale & Towne, Inc.     Saginaw News October 14, 1975, pg. C10 Eastman, George E. Saginaw, Michigan Passed away early Tuesday morning, Oct. 14, 1975, at the Hoyt Nursing Home after a lingering illness. Age 87 years. He was born May 19, 1888, in Sparta, Michigan, living in Saginaw most of his life. He was employed by Eaton Corp. for 13 years retiring in 1956 and prior to this was engaged in farming and had worked for International Harvester for several years. He married Edna S. Sonsmith April 19, 1919. She survives him. Surviving also are three sons, Lloyd G., Kenneth C. and Clare L. Eastman, all of Saginaw; eight grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. Mary Witting, Saginaw; several nieces and nephews.   Funeral service will take place 1:00 p.m. Friday at the Case Funeral Chapel, 409 Adams St. Rev. Richard D. Lobb will officiate with burial in Roselawn Memorial Gardens. Friends may call at the Chapel after 7:00 p.m. Wednesday. Those who so desire may make memorials to their favorite charity.

George Edward Wilburn EASTMAN is Robyn's great-grandfather. Robyn EASTMAN > Wayne EASTMAN > Lloyd EASTMAN > George Edward Wilburn

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