Edward Wallace Jellison

Edward (Ed) Wallace Jellison died at home on September 19, 2017. He was born on August 16, 1926 to Sarah Louise Snow and Linus Seely Jellison in Freeport, Maine. He spent his young life there, was drafted at 18 into the Army and served one year at the end of WWII.His college years were spent at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He joined the finance division at General Electric and came to Arizona in 1964 to work for Honeywell. In 1965 he married Cynthia Owens Doyle and they added Sarah and Matthew to the family.Following a serious bout with heart disease, he decided to retire at age 55. He and Cynthia struck a bargain. She would teach in Whiteriver, and he would become the "househusband". And so it was that the family moved to Pinetop. He did a great job (with the exception of cooking, which was marginal!)Throughout his life, Edward enjoyed the world of words, their cadence and combination. He wrote poetry and short stories, one of which was published in "Down East" magazine. He was a student of Jo Baeza at NPC and became good friends with her, often sharing ideas. He and his son Matt created a nightly two character bedtime story , imagining the antics of "Altabite and Big John". After watching the old Laurel and Hardy comedy films, his daughter, Sarah, became "Stanley" to Edward's "Ollie" and they shared many hilarious moments together.He enjoyed gardening, photography, reading the Sunday comics, and BASEBALL, especially the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Oakland A's. He was an active member of the White Mountain United Methodist Church. Edward constantly supported all of the family activities and was the silent backbone of the White Mountain Chorale for thirty-two years. Edward was very active with Meals on Wheels and spent many years raising funds and awareness of the need for this service to the community.Edward is survived by Cynthia, his wife of 51 years; son, Matthew; daughter, Sarah; granddaughter Ivy; brother-in-law, Ed Spencer; a niece, nephews and cousins.He was preceded in death by his parents and his two sisters, Sheila Tennant and Necia Spencer.A celebration of his life will be held Saturday, September 30, at 1:00 PM, at the White Mountain United Methodist Church, 261 N. 5th St., Show Low, Arizona.In lieu of flowers the family suggests a donation to White Mountain Meals on Wheels, 301 E. McNeil, Show Low, AZ  85901