Edward J. Shockley Sr., Lewes patriarch
Edward J. Shockley Sr., 93, of Lewes passed away in the early morning hours of Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, from complications due to COVID.
A true Lewes local, Edward was born in 1928 in Lewes in a house on Front Street, where The Inn at Canal Square stands today. The son of Vinal and Bessie Shockley, Edward grew up on Lewes Beach in a house that was a converted Queen Anne Railroad passenger car. His grandfather, Will Craig, who worked as a carpenter for the railroad, built a house for them around the passenger car.
Edward met and married Carolyn Ford, the daughter of MSG Robert E. and Kathleen Ford, in 1947 right after WWII, while Carolyn’s father was stationed at Fort Miles. Together they raised their three sons, Eddie, Michael and Mark, plus a nephew, Buck Ford. Edward was always a quiet but powerful presence and influence on the many Lewes boys hanging around the Shockley House on McFee Street.
Edward was a Master Plumber, starting his career at Hoenen Plumbing in Lewes. He retired in 2000 from Joseph T. Richardson Mechanical Contractors, after supervising the construction of many large projects on DelMarVa, including Beebe Hospital, the original Cape Henlopen High School on Savannah Road, Shields Elementary School, the Cape May-Lewes Ferry Terminal, the Roosevelt Inlet U.S. Coast Guard Station (where his son Mark was stationed at the time), the original Lewes Library, the University of Delaware College of Marine Studies, the Sussex County Courthouse, Del Tech College in Georgetown, the Education and Humanities Building at Delaware State College in Dover, and numerous buildings at Dover Air Force Base, to name a few.
Edward was a man of abiding faith. He served as a trustee of Groome Church of Lewes, where he and a handful of congregants in the trades donated their time and skills to build the classroom addition to the original church building in the late 1950s.
Edward’s hobbies were always active and constructive. He learned how to ride a bike and to slalom ski just by thinking about it. Edward built and raced a hydroplane, and with his friends, was the first in Lewes to build lobster pots and try lobstering in the bay. He built and raced go-karts, always had a dune buggy or jeep to ride on the sand and was the first in Lewes to put a pool in his back yard. Edward loved stereo hi-fi equipment and built a reel-to-reel tape recorder. It was amazing to see him dive into computers in his late 70s, even putting a new modem in when lightning blew his out.
Music held a special place for Edward. As a teen, he dreamed of being a drummer in a Big Band. Edward passed his musical passion and drumming skills down to his sons Eddie and Michael, and he enjoyed seeing them perform at any opportunity, sitting in whenever he could to play one of his favorites, Kansas City.
After Edward’s wife Carolyn died in 2000, and his last surviving friend Ranie Hudson passed, it seemed as if Edward was going to give up. That’s when an angel by the name of Doris Glass came into his life.
Edward married Doris in 2004. Together they enjoyed dancing, traveling and eating out at their favorite restaurants, particularly the Crab and Claw in St. Michaels. During their 17 years together, Edward and Doris would take yearly cruises. One of the highlights of their annual cruises was having the opportunity to take the entire family on a Caribbean cruise. They also enjoyed continuing the tradition of hosting the July Fourth gathering of founding families of the Lewes Doo-Dah Parade each year and kicking off the parade from their back yard. Most importantly, Edward and Doris, together, played an important role in helping raise their grandsons Buck Shockley and Donovan Shockley, and granddaughter Savannah Shockley. Doris’s devotion to Edward was a blessing for which his entire family is grateful.
Edward loved Lewes and all that the Eastern Shore had to offer, especially fishing, hunting and crabbing. A great cook, Edward was known for his mean clam chowder, Oysters Rockefeller, and chicken-fried steak. Edward had a very close-knit family, of which he was always supportive and fiercely proud, and he greatly enjoyed the family gatherings, particularly the crab feasts. Edward Shockley was a good man and will be dearly missed.
In addition to his parents, Edward was preceded in death by his first wife Carolyn Shockley; his sister-in-law, Sherrie Ford; his brother-in-law, Buck Ford; his granddaughter, Erin Shockley; and his nephew, Robbie Ford. Left behind to cherish Edward's memory are his loving wife, Doris; his sons: Ed (Jill) and Michael (Susan), of Lewes, and Mark (Catherine) of Hampton, Va.; his brother, Richard Shockley of Harrisburg, Pa.; his sister-in-law, Kathy Ford of Lewes; his grandchildren: Mark Shockley Jr. (Morgan), Kristy Clark (Clifton), Jessica Shockley, Buck Shockley, Savannah Shockley and Donovan Shockley; his great-grandchildren: Ashley, Tyler, Alivia, Jonathan, Kaitlyn, Michael, Dakota and Jimmy; his nephews: Rick Shockley, Gary Shockley and Adam Ford; his nieces: Carol Jo Saussaman and Allison Green; his great-nephews: Jarrett Ford and Reed Ford; his extended family members: John, Darlene and John Robert Zacharias, Melanie and Phil Sekora, and Mandy Aviles; and his many other great-nieces and great-nephews. Edward is also survived by Doris’s sons: Michael Ingerson of Carrizo Springs, Texas, and Shawn Ingerson (Donna) of Joppa, Md.; grandchildren: Kevin Ingerson (Erin), Gregory Ingerson, and Elizabeth Ingerson; sister, Betty Campbell of East Thetford, Vt.; niece, Sandee Robinson of Thetford; great-niece, Shelby Robinson, also of Vermont; and great-grandchildren: Morgan, Dredon and Alonna.
The family would like to thank everyone who helped care for Edward in the last few years, especially Debbie Sheng, and the nursing staff of Beebe Healthcare. Your kindness and compassion for our husband, father, brother, Pop-Pop, uncle and friend will always be remembered.
Services will be held Friday, Oct. 29, at 11 a.m., at Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Atkins-Lodge Chapel, 16961 Kings Highway, Lewes, where friends may visit beginning at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at Bethel Cemetery on Savannah Road, Lewes. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, masks must be worn, and social distancing must be observed by all persons attending or participating in any aspect of the services. All are invited to join the livestreaming service via webcasts.lifetributes.com/1170292.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to Cape Community Fund, P.O. Box 110, Lewes, DE 19958, or the True Blue Jazz Scholarship Fund, 31408 Heron Circle, Lewes, DE 19958.
Please visit Edward’s Life Memorial Webpage and sign his virtual guestbook at www.parsellfuneralhomes.com.
