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Note: --He was buried in Granger, Indiana.
--Ted worked 42 years as a banker, retired as Vice-President.
--Source of information: Betty Stander (whome@@sprynet.com); Marriage records found in Justice Bldg. at Warsaw, Indiana in book EE page 80.
--Source of information: Michael J. Godshalk (godshalk@@suntan.eng.usf.edu OR Alt E-Mail address godshalk@@juno.com);
These are some of the memories I have of my Gpa Godshalk. There are many and I don't know of any that were bad. I was very lucky to have been born on the exact same day as my Grandpa. I was always told that I looked like him ... OR ... more so, that I always looked like a Godshalk. Of which, I've never really known if that was a compliment or not!!!!! :-)
There were several "Words of Wisdom" that I remember hearing from my Gpa ... on numerous occasions. 1) Never loan anyone money, unless you are can afford to lose the money you are loaning. 2) Loaning money is the easiest way to lose your friend. 3) Never loan your car out to anyone. 4) Put some money away every week, even if it's only a dime, and never touch it ... save it in a savings or financial account. I wish I could say that I followed my Gpa's "Words of Wisdom" ... but I can't. I can say they have guided me and kept me from losing too many friends, at least not because they were unable to repay me OR return my property.
I remember going out to my Gma & Gpa Godshalk's house (18 acres) whenever we were in South Bend (Indiana). We had lived 2 houses down from their house until I was about 3. Then we lived in South Bend until I was 7, while my Mom & Dad went to IUSB. But most of my memories at their house came after I'd (we'd) moved to Florida. We used to return to Indiana during summer months and Christmas vacations. Their house was built into the side of a small hill, so that their basement was the ground level in the back of the house. We'd drive down their l - o - n - g driveway and around the back of their house. Gpa always had the grass cut and the croquet game set up in the summer.
Gpa worked at the South Bend bank until he retired. Gpa never worked (actual job) after he retired, but I think he worked harder helping neighbors and taking care of the 18 acres, than most people do to earn a living.
Gpa always had a small grass cutting tractor in the small barn near the house. He'd always walk me out to the barn, check the gas in the mower, give me a quick review of the mower's features, and back the mower out of the barn. Then he'd let me on the mower and off I'd go. I'd drive all over the 18 acres. To the south was Gma & Gpa's old house and old barns. Also a narrow strip of grass that lead down to our (the house my Dad had built) old house. To the southeast was the woods. There was a small strip of grass between the trees lead you out into a large open grassy area. To the east of their big house was their 2 acre garden and then a huge rolling hill, that had once been farm land, going back � mile from the main road (Hickory Road). To the northeast, along the fence, there were rows of evergreen trees. Where we'd go to cut down a Christmas tree every winter. To the north was Gpa's round above ground pool and his ice skating rink. The ice skating rink was dug into the ground and mounded up around the sides. As winter approached, Gpa would drain the pool down about � way and start filling up the ice rink. Around the pool, Gpa had built a red wood fence. On the side closest to the house he built a platform to walk on, dressing room (without ceiling), and a raised platform. You had to climb up an aluminum ladder to reach the top of the raised platform. At the top there was a walkway, bench to sit on before or after swimming, rails to lean on and keep you from falling off the platform, and an aluminum ladder on the other side to climb down into the pool; if you didn't want to dive into the water.
Gpa loved to play horseshoes and croquet, both of which he played lots of and won often!! I remember watching Gpa play and whomping us with ease. He had a little "hehe hehe" laugh that he used while he was winning or losing. Another game that I remember was "caroms". A board game played with little plastic rings ... you had to flick your shooter ring towards other rings and knock the other ring into one of the four corner pockets.
Both Gma and Gpa drove to Florida during the winter months, after they had both retired. They stayed at different lakes or fishing camps every year. We'd drive over to visit, spend a day or so, go fishing, play cards, and talk. My Mom was one to sit out of a card game and let me play. I learned to play "Up and Down the River" (it's also known as "Oh Shaw", "Grandma", and other names), Euchre, and other games.
I remember going over to one of the fish camps one winter, and fishing with Gpa. When we weren't out fishing in the lake, we'd leave our cane poles tied up in the boat. I'd run down to the boat often and check the poles, to see if we'd caught any fish. We caught many catfish this way. When Gpa had first come down that winter, and started leaving his poles in the boat to catch fish while he was up in the trailer, he'd gone out one night after dark to find one of his best and longest cane poles missing. He and Gma got into the boat, armed with flashlights, and headed out through the inlet and towards the edge of the lake. There was a lot of tall grass or reeds along the edge of the lake and Gpa thought that he might be able to find his long cane pole, since the pole floated. As they neared the edge of the inlet, Gpa spotted his pole and had Gma guide the boat closer and closer. Gpa reached out of the boat and grabbed ahold of his cane pole, only a little to his surprise, but there was still a fish hooked to the end of the line. Gpa pulled up on the pole, fighting the struggling fish to the surface of the lake. He says it was a HUGE 20 lb. catfish, and if he'd only had his net in the boat, he would have been able to land the fish ... the fish got away. After that, Gpa always tied down his cane poles in the boat, so another HUGE fish wouldn't be able to pull the pole into the water!!!!!
Another winter and another fishing camp in Florida, I had brought my new two-man inflatable rubber raft along to use on the lake that Gma & Gpa were staying at. I'd gotten up really early the next morning and rowed out into the lake all by myself, so early that a foggish mist still drifted across the surface of the calm lake and the sun was just starting to peek over the distant horizon. I'd gotten up so early and had been so quiet that no one knew I was out on the lake all by myself. I had been rowing across the lake in my rubber raft, with the line cast out into the water. Trolling for any fish that might be up early and hungry for a juicy, slimy, and wiggly worm. The lake wasn't extremely large, just a nice size lake for the inflatable raft. As I approached the far side of the lake, knowing that on the other side there was a cemetery, I sensed or heard a noise. Looking over my right shoulder I spotted something just barely sticking out of the water, about 20 feet from the boat. At a second glance I noticed that there was another object sticking out of the water, about a foot and a half from the other object ... the first was thing I'd seen was a nose and the other was a pair of eyes ... both items attached to a very large alligator. I didn't even reel the fishing line in or turn the boat around to be able to get the most power out of rowing. I just grabbed the pair of oars attached to the sides of the extremely frail inflatable raft and rowed so hard and fast, that you could have water skied from the wake I was leaving in the water. I could only think about the gator, that no one knew I was out on the lake, the cemetery, and that the gator was probably the one who had the early morning hunger pangs ... as I raced across the lake. Thankfully I was either faster than the alligator OR the gator wasn't all that hungry ... the call is yours, but since I'm typing ... you know that I made it across the lake in one piece!!! :-)
There are many more memories ... and I'll continue to add them as I have time.
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