Obituary of Edwin O. Salisbury

Florida-Edwin Oliver Salisbury, formerly of Niskayuna, NY, died Thursday, March 18, 2010 at his home in Lake Worth, Fl. Edwin was born March 1, 1917 in Detroit, MI, the son of Jesse Edwin Salisbury and Edna Cecilia Griffin. Raised in Schenectady, NY, he attended the Van Antwerp School, the Mohawk Country Day School, and graduated from Nott Terrace High School before going on to Syracuse University. There, he was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity and graduated with a degree in Business Administration in 1940. After graduating from Syracuse University, he worked for Goodyear Tire in Akron,OH for a short time before returning to Schenectady and joining the family business. Started by his grandfather and passed on to his father and his uncle Phillip, E.B .Salisbury and Sons was located on Erie Boulevard and delivered oil and coal in the Capital District region, Ed started in "the yard" where he filled and loaded 100 pound bags of coal, which were then delivered and carried into houses by hand. Upon Ed's retirement in 1982, E.B. Salisbury and Sons had served the community for fifty years. During World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and underwent flight training in Glenview, IL. Toward the end of the war, he was drafted into the regular Army. After basic training in Augusta, GA, he was sent to the west coast by troop train and then on to Japan to replace combat troops once the war ended. Ed served on the Board of Trustees of the Schenectady Trust Company from 1973 to 1989 during which time it grew and became the publicly traded regional bank, Trustco Inc. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the Schenectady Community College from 1972 to 1981. He was a member of several Masonic organizations. Ed was an avid golfer. While at Syracuse University, he played on the golf team under legendary football coach Charles "Bud" Wilkinson, who began his coaching career at Syracuse. Ed was a long-time member of the Mohawk Golf Club in Niskayuna, NY and the Palm Beach National Golf Club in Lake Worth, FL. As an active club member at both clubs, he helped to organize a number of club tournaments. One of his fondest memories was when four couples and the club pro traveled to Scotland and played on several historic and difficult courses. He was predeceased by his wife Jeanne Warhurst Salisbury. Ed was the proud father of his son Edwin and his late daughter Jacqueline Rockefeller. Ed is survived by son Edwin B. Salisbury of Scotia, New York; six grandchildren, Adelaide Socki of Dallas, TX; Thomas W. Salisbury of Schenectady, NY; Brook A. Heichel of Ithaca, NY; Brian V. Salisbury of Schenectady, NY; Jeffrey Rockefeller and Jill Rockefeller of Scotia, NY; several great-grandchildren and two nieces, Sally Willette and Susan Braidwood. A graveside service in Memory's Garden, Colonie will be held at the convenience of the family. There will be no calling hours.