Ed Fellmeth’s Legacy of Faith

Thousands now use and cherish the hand-crafted Rosary beads he made and gave away

Ed Fellmeth held court each day in his personal castle – a comfortable, lace-curtained, trailer home in Turnersville. The jovial 85-year-old widower lived alone but felt blessed by a granddaughter, niece-in-law and an out-of-town niece who loved him, good neighbors who checked in on him – and his team of “angels” from Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice who cared for him as he battled cancer.

Edwin Fellmeth is just one of the more then 800 Catholic patients cared for by Samaritan last year. WWII veteran Edwin Fellmeth (above), pictured with Veronica Montgomery, RN, discovered a new hobby and passion after his wife died six years ago: to make and distribute more than 1000 pairs of rosary beads.

Visitors to his home were immediately struck by Ed’s playful sense of humor (and gratitude) with a sign that read, “Ladies only. You know who you are. You’re the Angles [Angels] of Mercy and true shining stars.”

Life wasn’t always easy for the World War II Navy veteran and retired machinist. He grew up in a Philadelphia orphanage after his mother died when he was two. Ed was the “baby” of six children, he explained, and his father wanted him to receive more attentive care than he could now provide.

Ed joined the Navy in 1943 where he served aboard the USS Proton and the USS Boston which engaged in the Battle of Okinawa. With a twinkle in his eye, Ed said the Navy was “the best service to join to see the world, always eat well and never have to walk like the Infantry!”

Ed’s life “changed for the better” when he met and married Burran, the love of his life for more than 50 years. After her death six years ago, he “was rooting around” for something meaningful to occupy his days. Spotting some beads in a craft store, Ed found his new hobby that turned into a passionate mission: To make and distribute as many Rosary beads as his time, energy and finances would allow. His first 50 pairs (of thousands more to come) went to members of a local Seniors’ group who, said Ed, “were tickled pink!”

A devout Catholic, Ed loved to pray through song as well as the Rosary. He had belonged to the choir at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish until his health prevented him from attending rehearsals. “They miss me and I miss them,” he said. To compensate, Ed recorded hymns he sang and played on a small portable piano and looked forward to the daily visits from members of his Samaritan care team.

When Samaritan care team members arrived, the coffee pot got turned on, along with Ed’s charm. The self-proclaimed Ladies Man sparkled as he engaged in spirited banter, stories and a healthy dose of laughter – even as staff assessed his medical, emotional and spiritual status. Kathy Grady, a Samaritan volunteer who visited Ed, recalled fondly with a laugh, “He was very special and a bit of a flirt!”

Ed demonstrating how he made his rosary beads.

On a visit just four days before his death, Ed was looking forward to visiting a local assisted living residence several weeks later to distribute a new batch of rosary beads to residents. As his nurse, social worker and massage therapist looked on, he checked off another item on his Wish List: To make a video teaching others how to assemble Rosary beads. It was so important to him that his artful worship would live on.

During the visit, Ed mustered the energy to record all four verses of “On Eagles’ Wings” with a staff member so that he could enjoy playing it back later.

Following his funeral, Ed’s nieces continued his legacy of prayer by distributing his remaining rosary beads to members of his parish. Somewhere, Heaven’s newest angel said a resounding “Amen!”

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