Edward John Timko

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Edward John Timko Sr

Edward John Timko - Born on November 8, 1926 in Dixonville, Indiana County, Pennsylvania. He was the seventh oldest child and third eldest son to Joseph John Timko and Anna Veronica Berish.

Description

Edward was a stocky, muscular individual who stood about 5 foot 11 inch in height and weighed about 170 pounds in 1944. He was clean shaven with dark brown, wavy hair and brown eyes. Edward wore glasses for most of his life. He was lefty handed and had a slight head-tilt to the right for most of his life.

Ed’s muscular build came years of lifting coils of strapping from the machine that applied its protective coating and loading them on skids for shipping.

Early Years

• 

  A young Edward and Albert Timko
  Childhood
  • In 1928, Ed's father Joseph John Timko family moved the family from Dixonville, Indiana County, Pennsylvania to Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio. Once in Warren, Joseph took a job as a steelworker for Republic Iron and Steel Corporation. Edward and his siblings attended Warren City schools.
  • Edward, or Ed as he was known, was very popular with all that knew him. His niece Betty Jane (Petrilla) Hietikko said that she thought he was the best looking of the Timko brothers. She said, when referring to Ed and his brother Albert, it was always "Ed and Al," never the other way.  Ed was the de facto ringleader.
  • He always seemed to be in a good mood, with a big smile on his face.  He was the one organized all the games the children played in the empty fields across the street from their house on Oriole Place.  Some of his activities got all of them in trouble, but it was never too serious. When Ed and Al took some of the younger children to the movies, they always have to walk several feet behind them so no one would know we were with them. Ed might have liked the little children but he had a reputation to maintain. However, the fact is that he did take time for us little kids.  He taught his young nephew Paul Petrilla how to play ball.  Paul’s brother Dave Petrilla unfortunately was too little. Ed and Al both worked at a local fruit market on Market Street. It was located in what is now the west parking lot of the landmark Warren eatery, the Hot Dog Shoppe. At the end of their shift, the market owner would let the boys take home any overripe fruit. Their mother Anna could always find a use for anything they brought home. One person’s overripe fruit might become another person’s desert for the evening meal.
  • In later years, Ed shared a bed with his younger brother Albert who was not known to be an early riser. On one occasion Ed, who had worked late the previous evening, was trying to sleep and Albert was being called from downstairs to wake up. Not wanting to leave his warm bed, Albert was doing his best to ignore the unwanted summons. Finally, Ed frustrated by the continual interruptions of his sleep took matters into his own hands, so to speak. He placed his foot behind Albert's back and shoved him out of the bed and onto the floor with a resounding thump. it was only then did the family members downstairs heard the thump did they know Albert was finally up.
• Siblings
  • Mary Martha Timko
  • Anna Joan Timko
  • Susanna Timko
  • Joseph John Timko Jr.
  • Stephen Michael Timko
  • Elizabeth Margaret Timko
  • Albert James Timko
  • Emma Marie Timko
  • Dorothy Alice Timko

Education

He completed the eleventh grade at Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio.

While his formal education ended in his junior year of high school, his learning continued as he was a voracious reader. He was one of those people who read an entire newspaper and always had a book dog-eared handy for a quick read.

Edward was a voracious reader. While he may not have graduated from high school he never stopped learning.

Religion

Edward was baptized into the Catholic faith on November 21, 1926 in Clymer, Indiana County, Pennsylvania.

He received his First Holy Communion on May 27, 1934 at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio. He was later Confirmed on May 9, 1938 at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio.

He was married on June 21, 1952 at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church on 175 Laird Avenue NE in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio.

He, his wife and four children were members of St. Williams Catholic Church on 5411 Mahoning Ave. NW in Champion, Trumbull County, Ohio.

S-Sgt Edward John Timko in uniform

Military Service Years

S/Sgt Edward Timko, Sr served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. Began serving on September 19, 1945 and was discharged on December 10, 1949 (Lackland AFB, Texas), He served as a Medical Corpsman at the 3700th Station Medical Squadron, 3700th Station Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. He received the American Defense Ribbon and the World War II Victory Medal.

Even though the war in Europe and Japan had come to an end, in September 19, 1945, Ed enlisted in U.S. Army as medical corpsman serving in the 3700th Station Medical Squadron, 3700th Station Hospital in Texas. He told the story of serving for a time in a ward for psychiatric patients. One day one of the patients escaped to a nearby town that was hosting a carnival with all the various rides. The patient somehow climbed aboard a Ferris wheel thinking he would escape his pursuers. Ed, along with the other corpsman, just waited for the patient to return to earth where they grabbed him and returned his to the ward. Ed could never figure out how that patient thought he was going to escape by climbing on to the ride.

While Ed was never stationed outside the continental United States, he at least had to opportunity to serve his country and to see other parts of the country with its various cultures. In some of the photos of the time, Ed can be seen enjoying his favorite libation, a cold beer, with a group of his comrades. He told his children the story of stopping at a local cantina for a few beers one day. Eventually, after a few beers he became hungry and ordered a steak. Ed said that the cook went over to a large piece of raw meat that was hanging nearby and cut off a steak just for him. He remembers the hanging meat being covered in flies that the cook had to shoo away as he cut. However, when he was served the grilled steak, he said it was the best he ever had.

By the time Ed left the service, he had achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant.

Military Service(s) - U.S. Army Air Corps

Edward & Jeannette (Walker) Timko in front of Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church.

Family Years

• How they met - Jeannette Frances Walker loved to tell us how she met Edward by writing letters to him during the end of WWII. As she told it, Edward’s sister Dorothy was good friends with Jeannette because they attended the same high school. Sometime in their friendship, Dorothy must have told Jeannette about her brother being stationed at Lackland AFB. Now, during the war, people were constantly encourage to support “our boys over seas.”  And one of the ways suggested was to write to the troops, you know, become a pen-pal. Dorothy must have encouraged Jeannette to reach out to her brother because Jeannette did just that...began writing to him. Edward was a bit surprised when he received the first letter but it soon grew into something that they each enjoyed as the frequency and length of the letters grew over time. (In later years, Jeannette's children would learn that she kept all Edward’s letters to her.) Eventually, they arranged to meet when my dad was home on leave, and, well as they say, the rest is history.
• Marriage - Edward married Jeannette Frances Walker on June 21, 1952 at Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio.
• Stories About Edward and Jeannette
  • While living with his in-laws, Edward broke his arm while trying to navigate the stairs. The story, entitled "His Broken Arm," can be found at the link, Timko Family Stories ----
• First House - After the couple's honeymoon, the spent their first few years living at the home of Jeannette's parents on 1544 McMyler Avenue. They lived there for nearly three years while they were building their new house at 4419 Kincaid East Road next to his older brother Steven. Edward, along with other family members, laid the block for the basement of the house as well as all the wood construction. Their son Eddie remembers his mother telling him how she learned to solder the electrical connections at the various receptacles as his Ed pulled electrical wire throughout the house.
• Children - The couple had four children: three boys - Edward John Jr., Kenneth Joseph and Donald Judson, and one girl - Jeannette Frances.
  • Edward John Timko Jr. and spouse Mary Cathleen Laughlin
  • Kenneth Joseph Timko and spouse Connie Shae Cox - The couple divorced.
  • Donald Judson Timko and spouse Lorraine Beverly Eckley
  • Jeannette Francis Timko and spouse Kirk Brian Yauger - The couple divorced. (2nd husband - Wayne August Aubel. The couple had no children.)

Residences

Edward live in Dixonville, Indiana County, Pennsylvania from his birth until the family moved in 1928 to Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio.

During the family's years in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio, Edward's family rented or owned a total of six houses on the southwest side of the city. He would later reside or own two more.

• 100 block of Parkman Road [Note: The exact address of the family's first rental house is not known. Anna's daughter Emma (Timko) Burin said that while driving with her mother, Anna pointed to a small collection of houses next to the railroad tracks on Parkman and said that was the house the family lived in when they first arrived in the city. At the time, it never occurred to Emma to ask exactly which of the house had been the family's first home. However, from city records, the address would have to have been either 160, 170 or 178 Parkman Road.]
• Lived at 985 Hunter Street NW in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio
• Lived at 1437 Tod Avenue SW in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio
• Lived at 487 Fourth Street in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio
• Lived at 481 Oriole Place SW in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio
• Lived at 770 Fourth Street in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio

After his marriage to Jeannette Frances Walker, the couple lived in two locations.

• Lived at 1454 McMyler Street NW in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio. (Lived here with Edward's in-laws for about two years)
• Lived at 4419 Kincaid East Road in Champion, Trumbull County, Ohio.

Working Years

Worked as tire builder at Denman Tire Corporation in Leavitsburg, Trumbull County, Ohio for a short time in his youth.

He worked the remainder of his life as a machine operator at Brainard Steel Division, Sharon Steel Corporation on Larchmont Avenue on the outskirts of Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio. The machine he operated "painted" a protective coating on some types of the steel strapping the company sold.

Edward also served as Vice President of local Steelworkers Union - Head of Compensation. His son Edward John Timko, Jr. remembers taking his first trip to Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio with his father as Edward Sr. represented a fellow worker in a compensation case.

Personal Life

Enjoyed reading, fishing, playing poker and gardening. In his youth he loved to ice skate. He was also know to enjoy cold bottles of beer and smoking cigars and the occasional pipe.

Edward was also partial to polka music and the comedy of W.C. Fields, often quoting Field's sayings during family gatherings, particularly "Go away kid, you bother me."

During their early years at his house on Kincaid Road, Ed spent a good deal of time making his land more suitable for gardening by clearing brush and digging ditches to help dry out the back portion of his seven and one-half acres of land. It was not uncommon to see Ed, with a shovel resting on his shoulder, patrolling the network of ditches he had dug, and ensuring they were free of debris and running they should.

Edward enjoyed only simple hobbies and one of them was fishing. While he never spent a great deal of money on fishing equipment, it was not uncommon for him to grab his poles and take the family out for a day at one of the nearby lakes to catch that nights dinner. I suppose that might have been a partial rationale for Ed having dug a pond a few hundred yards behind his house (It's worth mentioning he used the dirt from digging the pond to backfill around his house and septic system. A project that took several years.) However, the pond never proved to be a good source for fish, at least in his lifetime. As much as he tried he could never find a reliable source of water even though there were springs all around his property. It wasn’t until after his death his wife Jeannette had the pond made larger and deeper finally hitting the long elusive spring. It was only then did the fish, for which Ed worked so long and hard, finally appear.

Death

On December 25, 1977. Edward broke his leg at home while trying to keep the family Christmas tree from falling. It had been bumped by one his children. He had been sitting in a rocking chair and, upon seeing the tree falling, leaned forward trying to catch it. Unfortunately, he set his foot wrong, resulting in a twisting motion which broke his leg. He sat back down in the rocker as if nothing happened. it was his oldest son who pointed out to him that his foot was no longer pointed forward. He then realized a trip to the hospital was in order.

His two oldest sons helped him into the family car and headed out to the hospital with a broomstick helping support the injured leg. Upon his arrival at the entrance to the emergency department of Warren General Hospital in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio, the staff helped Edward on to a gurney and wheeled him leaving his sons to handle the admittance paperwork. After a preliminary examination and x-rays it was discovered Edward had a spiral fracture. They proceeded to surgery where several metal pins were placed into the bone of his leg to hold the broken pieces together. The operation was a complete success.

However, while he was recovering, clots developed in his leg resulting in a pulmonary embolism. Edward was rushed to intensive care. However, after a few days, he appeared to be on the mend and was returned to the general ward. However, on January 14, 1978, Edward died at Warren General Hospital after other pulmonary embolism developed in his lungs.

Edward died from pulmonary embolism on January 14, 1978 at Warren General Hospital in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio.

He was buried on January 17, 1978 at Champion Township Cemetery in Champion, Trumbull County, Ohio. This cemetery is located on Center Street (Rt 305) in Champion, Trumbull County, Ohio. This cemetery is approximately 7 miles northwest of Warren, Ohio.