It wasn’t unexpected, but when I learned late yesterday afternoon that his time I had come, it was still jarring. He had been prepared for it for a while, ready for his moment. He went quietly, asleep. My father, Edwin S. Greenfield, born 1925, passed away yesterday. His wife, my mother, Phyllis Joy Greenfield, passed away in 2015.
My father served in the 86th Infantry in World War II, Blackhawk Division, in Europe, where he was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Good Conduct medal. After raising two kids, he joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary, where he became the Public Affairs Officer for the Lake Worth Inlet Coast Guard station in Florida. He loved his Coasties, and they were incredibly kind to him.
There, he started his last “cause,” Wreaths Over The Water. He wanted to remember those service men and women who had no headstone upon which to lay a wreath, and included all services, including the merchant marines, whose contributions weren’t sufficiently recognized, to join in the ceremony. It was his fervant hope that it continues after he’s gone.
My father asked one thing of me when his time came, that I salute him. I will do so physically later today, when we’re alone, but I do so publicly now. He lived a full, long life. He gave to others. He gave to me. I salute you, Pop.
Edwin S. Greenfield
1925 – 2019
I hope you will forgive me for not replying to each comment below, but thank you for your kind words and thoughts.
I Salute You, Pop curated from Simple Justice
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