Edgar Ousley, longtime pipe fitter, retired business owner, and veteran, has died at 86
He had a mind for managing money, and his wise investments helped him retire early from Philadelphia Gas Works. “He was one of the smartest men I knew,” his daughter said.
Edgar Ousley, 86, of Philadelphia, longtime pipe fitter at Philadelphia Gas Works, retired business owner, Air Force veteran, and father of four daughters, died Friday, Feb. 9, of prostate cancer at KeystoneCare Hospice in Wyndmoor.
Mr. Ousley was an expert at managing money, and his ability to invest wisely and build wealth allowed him to retire early from the gas works. He was a pipe fitter from 1967 to 1995, and he and his family lived for much of that time in Brewerytown.
He also operated a small corner variety store in the neighborhood in the 1960s and served as financial secretary for local Freemasons in the 1970s. He was good at math and detail oriented, and he paid attention to interest rates on his accounts, double-checked even the smallest receipts, and accounted for every monetary transaction he made.
“In many ways, he was a man ahead of his time,” said his daughter, Yvette Ousley-Frazier. “He was one of the smartest men I knew.”
Even though he had little formal schooling, Mr. Ousley valued education and made sure his daughters and grandchildren had access to it. He monitored his daughters’ schoolwork closely when they were young and enrolled them in summer camps, dance lessons, and programs at the YMCA.
“He understood that education was the equalizer,” Ousley-Frazier said.
He was a deliberate thinker, especially about his daughters’ early social activities, and they recall being grilled about all sorts of details before attending parties, “all usually leading up to, no, we could not go,” Ousley-Frazier said.
Mr. Ousley could be stubborn, but he was punctual and practical, and voted in every election. He lost his eyesight after a stroke in 2008 and lived with Ousley-Frazier and son-in-law Benjamin Frazier Jr. for a time in West Mount Airy. He also lived at the Terrace at Chestnut Hill.
“He was wise, serious, not a flashy person,” Ousley-Frazier said. “Yet he loved a good time and enjoyed football, but only if the Eagles were playing.”
The seventh of 12 children, Edgar Ousley was born June 15, 1937, in Columbus, Ga. He bought his first pair of shoes when he was 11 with the money he earned as a golf caddie, and he moved to Newark, N.J., as a teenager to take a job arranged by his older brother, Charlie.
He enlisted in the Air Force even though he didn’t like to fly and served as an airman in England and elsewhere from 1955 to 1959. He moved to Philadelphia after his discharge for a job at the Navy Yard.
He met Yvonne Glenn when they both worked at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and they married in 1973, and had daughters Brigette, Yvette, Rosanna, and Zaakirah. They divorced later, and he was a companion to Lillian Lucas for many years.
Mr. Ousley was exceptionally handy around the house, and outside repairmen were never needed at his home. He knew the Bible, was serious about his faith, and served as a deacon at church later in life.
He read every page of the daily newspaper when he was young, played cards, and considered a shot of vodka his personal cure-all. He stayed close with his siblings and visited them often in Newark and Georgia.
He liked to dance and listen to Sam Cooke and Stevie Wonder. His favorite song was “Georgia on My Mind” by Ray Charles.
He enjoyed parties and being surrounded by family, and he smiled for practically every photo he is in. “He was a character,” Ousley-Frazier said. ”He liked what he liked and believed what he believed.”
In addition to his daughters, companion, and former wife, Mr. Ousley is survived by 13 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, a sister, and other relatives. Five sisters and five brothers died earlier.
Services were held Feb. 23. Interment was at Washington Crossing National Cemetery.
Donations in his name may be made to the American Cancer Society, Box 6704, Hagerstown, Md. 21741.