Introducing Edward Walter Midtgard (1922-2004)

1969 Centennial Celebration in Hillsdale, MI 

Edward was born December 31, 1922 in Detroit, Michigan to Charles John Hager and Hildegard Clara (Drager) Hager (later Hildegard Midtgard). His father and mother were both of German descent. He had five siblings William ("Bill"), Rosemary, Charles ("Chuck"), Frederick ("Fritz"), and Milton. Charles was his mother's second husband, so the two oldest children (Bill and Rosemary) have a different father (William Russell Shaw). Hilda divorced Charles around the time when Edward was about eight or nine, and she started seeing a recent Danish immigrant named Herluf Midtgard. Herluf and Hilda eventually fell in love and she married him in 1933 and stayed by his side until her death in 1954. Herluf loved all of Hilda's children as his own. He eventually adopted them, giving them all his last name, and he became a true father figure for them all.


Growing up in Detroit, Edward had a very unique childhood. He helped his birth father Charles fix mafia automobiles (at one time he found a trunk of one stockpiled with loaded guns), he washed cars for movie stars that lived next door to his family, and he sold The Detroit Free Press as a newspaper wagon boy around the city streets. He never graduated from high school as he dropped out to work to help support his family as well as join the military. During his service in the United States Army he was stationed at Camp Wallace in Texas where he worked as a cook, but he only served a short term before he threw out his back and was honorably discharged. 


Hilda and Herluf eventually moved down to the Hillsdale, Michigan area, and that is where Edward first met Annabelle Price in the summer 1951. He fell in love with her immediately.  He watched her intently as she rode horses bareback around her yard. He wanted so badly to go out with her, and being a confident fellow, he never let up the pursuit despite her initial disgust with him. Annabelle was a real beauty and was seeing another fellow named Jim at the time, but Edward finally wooed her with his charm. He started visiting her once or twice a week on the way home from work at Bundy Tubing, often times staying until the early morning hours of the next day, and finally she realized that she too had feelings for him.

Wedding Day (L to R: Harold Gardner (Annabelle's Step-Father),
Lucile Gardner, Annabelle, Edward, Hilda Midtgard,
Herluf Midtgard)

Edward and Annabelle were married on November 16, 1952 in Hillsdale, Michigan, and their reception was held at Schuler's Restaurant in Marshall, Michigan where Win Schuler made sure that every request they had that night was granted. Immediately following the reception, they hopped in their already packed car and drove to Florida for their honeymoon. They spent days in sun, escaping the cold Michigan weather. This was just part of their romantic rendezvous though, as Edward took her to New York a few years later to see the city lights and other sights she had never seen before. They settled in Jonesville, Michigan--living in the same house Annabelle had lived in since the age of 17--and shared many happy years as newlyweds, and then their family grew in number and in happiness with the birth of their daughter.

Dianne's First Christmas

Dianne Lucile Midtgard was born on April 2, 1957, and she was the only daughter of the couple. Edward and Annabelle immediately went into perfect parents mode as they attended every recital, play, and sporting event that Dianne was involved in. They made every Easter, birthday, and Christmas a memory that she could cherish for the rest of her life. They realized what it meant to be dedicated parents, and they raised their daughter to be an outstanding student and citizen of the community. Dianne graduated in the top of her class at Jonesville High School and was skilled in piano, tap, ballet, and community theater throughout her childhood.


Edward worked at Jonesville Products as a foreman for a good portion of his life. He was known as the friendly boss, always joking and smiling with those who worked for him. He saw all people as good people and treated them as such. He worked his way up to the foreman position after numerous laboring jobs, so he knew all about the positions that they were in. He brought home good money, and was able to put his daughter through school at Hillsdale College as well as feed into his other hobbies.


Edward was an avid antique collector and an original "American picker". He traveled around the tri-state area to auctions and shows to purchase anything that interested him. He filled buildings with buggies, wagons, gas pumps, classic cars, furniture, cookie jars, tools, and various other artifacts. He enjoyed the rush of finding old items, learning about their past, and purchasing them   and adding them into his collection. This is a passion that he passed down to my mother as well as to me.  However, he didn't hold on to everything. He held one of the biggest antique auctions in Michigan in 1997, as it was decided that it was time to downsize and move closer to family.


In 1997, Edward and Annabelle moved south to Pioneer, Ohio in order to be closer to their daughter. They bought one of the prettiest spec homes in town and enjoyed every minute of family time. In the past, they had watched their grandchildren, my sister and me, by driving forty-five minutes everyday. Now they didn't worry about the conditions of the roads as they were literally a block away from Dianne and her family. 

Edward with Dianne and Austin

Just as they went into parent mode with Dianne, they went into grandparent mode starting in 1989 when my sister and I were born. They babysat us throughout our baby and toddler years as our parents had very busy work schedules. This is why I credit them for teaching me most of the essentials of life because they truly spent time with me everyday. They also went to every recital, performance, and program of ours just like they had done for our mother. This cycle went through a third round starting in 1999 when my brother Sterling was born. They were overjoyed to take care of him throughout his childhood. It kept them young and happy to have a little guy running around their house.


In the time spent in Ohio, Edward and Annabelle continued their lives as normally as possible by still going to auctions, flea markets, and antique shows. Many times they brought my mother and us kids along with them for the ride. They purchased abstract and beautiful items that they knew would just go up in price as they years went by. They truly enjoyed this passion up until the end of Edward's life. 

50th Wedding Anniversary as Schuler's (L to R: Audra,
Annabelle, Edward, Sterling, Austin)

Edward and Annabelle celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in 2002 with a family dinner in the same restaurant that their wedding reception was held in. They had spent fifty years together growing a bond that could never be severed. They stood by each other's side through thick and thin until the very end. 


Around the start of 2003, Edward grew weak and became bed-ridden. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer a couple years earlier, and it was finally taking its toll on him. Throughout this stage, Annabelle waited on him hand and foot and did all she could to make sure that he was happy. I will never forget the look I saw in their eyes during these last couple of years. My grandfather had sparks in his eyes every time he spoke with my grandmother, and she always returned them with a smile. They were calm with each other and weren't afraid to show affection with warm hugs and big kisses, even moments before Edward left for Heaven.


Edward died on December 19, 2004 at Hillsdale Community Health Center in Hillsdale, Michigan. He had been there all month after initially going due to a heart attack, a stroke, and breathing trouble. During that month Annabelle barely came home or slept. She sat by her husband's side holding his hand and talking with him even though he couldn't talk back. She never left the room without kissing him goodbye, and this is a testament to the strength of their love, their true love.


My grandfather goes down in my memory as one of, if not the most, important men in my life. I see aspects of him in myself everyday. Superficially, we have the same style when it comes to constantly wearing dress clothes and tastes such as having a passion for collecting abstract and unique antiques. Looking at deeper areas though, we have the same open mind, caring heart, and strong work ethic. I don't go a day in my life without thanking my grandfather for aiding me in becoming who I am today.