Wichita Eagle, August 6, 1993:
Perry Eash's homespun tailor shop on West Douglas was open for business as usual Thursday, much like any other weekday during the past 70 years. His Lions Club plaques, collected over half a century, still graced the area near the front counter. A lifetime's worth of signed celebrity photos still hung high on the walls. Old treadle-driven sewing machines and a new one with zigzag stitching still occupied the workrooms. All that was missing Thursday were Mr. Eash's personal sewing machine, his stationary bicycle and Mr. Eash himself. In late spring, Mr. Eash, a Wichita fixture who founded the tailor shop in 1922 and never found time to retire, withdrew from the shop's daily operations and went into a nursing home. On Wednesday, Mr. Eash, 96, died. Family members and employees said he was a meticulous man, one who loved his job, reveled in telling stories about his life and taught his children and grandchildren to make the best of their lives every day. ''He would say, 'If it's not the way you want it, you want it the way it is,' " said Shirley Fox, Mr. Eash's daughter. Even in recent years, when she had a rough day at work, Fox said she would call her father at the tailor shop for an uplifting word. ''He'd answer and say, 'Perry Eash Tailors,' " she said. "I'd say, 'I just need to hear about the flowers on the hillside.' " Mr. Eash was born in 1897 in Indiana. His family was Pennsylvania Dutch; his father was a carpenter and farmer. When Mr. Eash was four, the family moved to Jet, Okla., where they lived for 12 years. When he started school, Fox said, he didn't speak English. In 1916, the family moved to Hesston, where Mr. Eash worked part time in a tailor shop, and then to Harper. Before he finished high school, he was drafted into the Army for World War I. In the Army, Mr. Eash was the company bugler who woke the men each morning. Two weeks before his company was to leave for battle, the armistice was signed. He returned to Kansas and worked for a tailor in Hutchinson, then one in Wichita. When he was 25, Mr. Eash opened his own shop, downtown on Douglas. Over the years it moved farther west, but his name always stayed over the door. The shop became a second home for him and his family. ''When we were little, we would just hang out there," said Jan Petersen, Mr. Eash's granddaughter. "He'd introduce us to everyone that came in." Mr. Eash entertained his family and his employees with stories of his younger days, like the way he trained a horse that nobody else could break. He loved to sing, and he taught his children World War I songs like "K-K-K- Katie." He was also something of an adventurer. Fox said one of her earliest memories was of her father taking her to the airfield for a ride in an open- cockpit plane. And one time, she said, he rode across the Oklahoma salt plains on a motorcycle and ran out of gas and Clyde Cessna, who was flying there, helped him out. And, of course, she said, he loved his job. Mr. Eash bypassed retirement and kept working, at least as a manager, until early this year. His hours were so regular, tailor Sharon Crow said, you could set your watch by them. He always was dressed impeccably, she said, in a suit, vest and tie. No matter what, Mr. Eash was always exuberant about life, Fox said. Even at the end, when he was in the nursing home, he'd give his children and grandchildren the "OK" sign and tell them everything was going to be fine. ''He would sing at the nursing home," Fox said. "The nurses told me he would sing, and they would sing with him." Mr. Eash is survived by his wife, Golda; his son, Roger, of Chanute; his daughter, Fox; his brother, Lester, of St. Louis; five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Memorials have been established with First United Methodist Church Television Ministry and Wichita Downtown Lions Club. A service is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday, First United Methodist Church.
Wichita Eagle:
Eash, Perry J., 96, Perry Eash Tailor owner, died Wednesday, Aug. 4, 1993. Service 10 a.m. Saturday, First United Methodist Church. Survivors: wife, Golda; son, Roger of Chanute; daughter, Shirley Fox of Wichita; brother, Lester of St. Louis; four grandchildren; eight great- grandchildren. Memorials have been established with First United Methodist Church Television Ministry and Wichita Downtown Lions Club. Cochran Mortuary. [Note: Golda Eash died in June of 1995]
Perry Eash's homespun tailor shop on West Douglas was open for business as usual Thursday, much like any other weekday during the past 70 years. His Lions Club plaques, collected over half a century, still graced the area near the front counter. A lifetime's worth of signed celebrity photos still hung high on the walls. Old treadle-driven sewing machines and a new one with zigzag stitching still occupied the workrooms. All that was missing Thursday were Mr. Eash's personal sewing machine, his stationary bicycle and Mr. Eash himself. In late spring, Mr. Eash, a Wichita fixture who founded the tailor shop in 1922 and never found time to retire, withdrew from the shop's daily operations and went into a nursing home. On Wednesday, Mr. Eash, 96, died. Family members and employees said he was a meticulous man, one who loved his job, reveled in telling stories about his life and taught his children and grandchildren to make the best of their lives every day. ''He would say, 'If it's not the way you want it, you want it the way it is,' " said Shirley Fox, Mr. Eash's daughter. Even in recent years, when she had a rough day at work, Fox said she would call her father at the tailor shop for an uplifting word. ''He'd answer and say, 'Perry Eash Tailors,' " she said. "I'd say, 'I just need to hear about the flowers on the hillside.' " Mr. Eash was born in 1897 in Indiana. His family was Pennsylvania Dutch; his father was a carpenter and farmer. When Mr. Eash was four, the family moved to Jet, Okla., where they lived for 12 years. When he started school, Fox said, he didn't speak English. In 1916, the family moved to Hesston, where Mr. Eash worked part time in a tailor shop, and then to Harper. Before he finished high school, he was drafted into the Army for World War I. In the Army, Mr. Eash was the company bugler who woke the men each morning. Two weeks before his company was to leave for battle, the armistice was signed. He returned to Kansas and worked for a tailor in Hutchinson, then one in Wichita. When he was 25, Mr. Eash opened his own shop, downtown on Douglas. Over the years it moved farther west, but his name always stayed over the door. The shop became a second home for him and his family. ''When we were little, we would just hang out there," said Jan Petersen, Mr. Eash's granddaughter. "He'd introduce us to everyone that came in." Mr. Eash entertained his family and his employees with stories of his younger days, like the way he trained a horse that nobody else could break. He loved to sing, and he taught his children World War I songs like "K-K-K- Katie." He was also something of an adventurer. Fox said one of her earliest memories was of her father taking her to the airfield for a ride in an open- cockpit plane. And one time, she said, he rode across the Oklahoma salt plains on a motorcycle and ran out of gas and Clyde Cessna, who was flying there, helped him out. And, of course, she said, he loved his job. Mr. Eash bypassed retirement and kept working, at least as a manager, until early this year. His hours were so regular, tailor Sharon Crow said, you could set your watch by them. He always was dressed impeccably, she said, in a suit, vest and tie. No matter what, Mr. Eash was always exuberant about life, Fox said. Even at the end, when he was in the nursing home, he'd give his children and grandchildren the "OK" sign and tell them everything was going to be fine. ''He would sing at the nursing home," Fox said. "The nurses told me he would sing, and they would sing with him." Mr. Eash is survived by his wife, Golda; his son, Roger, of Chanute; his daughter, Fox; his brother, Lester, of St. Louis; five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Memorials have been established with First United Methodist Church Television Ministry and Wichita Downtown Lions Club. A service is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday, First United Methodist Church.
Wichita Eagle:
Eash, Perry J., 96, Perry Eash Tailor owner, died Wednesday, Aug. 4, 1993. Service 10 a.m. Saturday, First United Methodist Church. Survivors: wife, Golda; son, Roger of Chanute; daughter, Shirley Fox of Wichita; brother, Lester of St. Louis; four grandchildren; eight great- grandchildren. Memorials have been established with First United Methodist Church Television Ministry and Wichita Downtown Lions Club. Cochran Mortuary. [Note: Golda Eash died in June of 1995]
Wichita Eagle, August 6, 1993:
Perry Eash's homespun tailor shop on West Douglas was open for business as usual Thursday, much like any other weekday during the past 70 years. His Lions Club plaques, collected over half a century, still graced the area near the front counter. A lifetime's worth of signed celebrity photos still hung high on the walls. Old treadle-driven sewing machines and a new one with zigzag stitching still occupied the workrooms. All that was missing Thursday were Mr. Eash's personal sewing machine, his stationary bicycle and Mr. Eash himself. In late spring, Mr. Eash, a Wichita fixture who founded the tailor shop in 1922 and never found time to retire, withdrew from the shop's daily operations and went into a nursing home. On Wednesday, Mr. Eash, 96, died. Family members and employees said he was a meticulous man, one who loved his job, reveled in telling stories about his life and taught his children and grandchildren to make the best of their lives every day. ''He would say, 'If it's not the way you want it, you want it the way it is,' " said Shirley Fox, Mr. Eash's daughter. Even in recent years, when she had a rough day at work, Fox said she would call her father at the tailor shop for an uplifting word. ''He'd answer and say, 'Perry Eash Tailors,' " she said. "I'd say, 'I just need to hear about the flowers on the hillside.' " Mr. Eash was born in 1897 in Indiana. His family was Pennsylvania Dutch; his father was a carpenter and farmer. When Mr. Eash was four, the family moved to Jet, Okla., where they lived for 12 years. When he started school, Fox said, he didn't speak English. In 1916, the family moved to Hesston, where Mr. Eash worked part time in a tailor shop, and then to Harper. Before he finished high school, he was drafted into the Army for World War I. In the Army, Mr. Eash was the company bugler who woke the men each morning. Two weeks before his company was to leave for battle, the armistice was signed. He returned to Kansas and worked for a tailor in Hutchinson, then one in Wichita. When he was 25, Mr. Eash opened his own shop, downtown on Douglas. Over the years it moved farther west, but his name always stayed over the door. The shop became a second home for him and his family. ''When we were little, we would just hang out there," said Jan Petersen, Mr. Eash's granddaughter. "He'd introduce us to everyone that came in." Mr. Eash entertained his family and his employees with stories of his younger days, like the way he trained a horse that nobody else could break. He loved to sing, and he taught his children World War I songs like "K-K-K- Katie." He was also something of an adventurer. Fox said one of her earliest memories was of her father taking her to the airfield for a ride in an open- cockpit plane. And one time, she said, he rode across the Oklahoma salt plains on a motorcycle and ran out of gas and Clyde Cessna, who was flying there, helped him out. And, of course, she said, he loved his job. Mr. Eash bypassed retirement and kept working, at least as a manager, until early this year. His hours were so regular, tailor Sharon Crow said, you could set your watch by them. He always was dressed impeccably, she said, in a suit, vest and tie. No matter what, Mr. Eash was always exuberant about life, Fox said. Even at the end, when he was in the nursing home, he'd give his children and grandchildren the "OK" sign and tell them everything was going to be fine. ''He would sing at the nursing home," Fox said. "The nurses told me he would sing, and they would sing with him." Mr. Eash is survived by his wife, Golda; his son, Roger, of Chanute; his daughter, Fox; his brother, Lester, of St. Louis; five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Memorials have been established with First United Methodist Church Television Ministry and Wichita Downtown Lions Club. A service is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday, First United Methodist Church.
Wichita Eagle:
Eash, Perry J., 96, Perry Eash Tailor owner, died Wednesday, Aug. 4, 1993. Service 10 a.m. Saturday, First United Methodist Church. Survivors: wife, Golda; son, Roger of Chanute; daughter, Shirley Fox of Wichita; brother, Lester of St. Louis; four grandchildren; eight great- grandchildren. Memorials have been established with First United Methodist Church Television Ministry and Wichita Downtown Lions Club. Cochran Mortuary. [Note: Golda Eash died in June of 1995]
Perry Eash's homespun tailor shop on West Douglas was open for business as usual Thursday, much like any other weekday during the past 70 years. His Lions Club plaques, collected over half a century, still graced the area near the front counter. A lifetime's worth of signed celebrity photos still hung high on the walls. Old treadle-driven sewing machines and a new one with zigzag stitching still occupied the workrooms. All that was missing Thursday were Mr. Eash's personal sewing machine, his stationary bicycle and Mr. Eash himself. In late spring, Mr. Eash, a Wichita fixture who founded the tailor shop in 1922 and never found time to retire, withdrew from the shop's daily operations and went into a nursing home. On Wednesday, Mr. Eash, 96, died. Family members and employees said he was a meticulous man, one who loved his job, reveled in telling stories about his life and taught his children and grandchildren to make the best of their lives every day. ''He would say, 'If it's not the way you want it, you want it the way it is,' " said Shirley Fox, Mr. Eash's daughter. Even in recent years, when she had a rough day at work, Fox said she would call her father at the tailor shop for an uplifting word. ''He'd answer and say, 'Perry Eash Tailors,' " she said. "I'd say, 'I just need to hear about the flowers on the hillside.' " Mr. Eash was born in 1897 in Indiana. His family was Pennsylvania Dutch; his father was a carpenter and farmer. When Mr. Eash was four, the family moved to Jet, Okla., where they lived for 12 years. When he started school, Fox said, he didn't speak English. In 1916, the family moved to Hesston, where Mr. Eash worked part time in a tailor shop, and then to Harper. Before he finished high school, he was drafted into the Army for World War I. In the Army, Mr. Eash was the company bugler who woke the men each morning. Two weeks before his company was to leave for battle, the armistice was signed. He returned to Kansas and worked for a tailor in Hutchinson, then one in Wichita. When he was 25, Mr. Eash opened his own shop, downtown on Douglas. Over the years it moved farther west, but his name always stayed over the door. The shop became a second home for him and his family. ''When we were little, we would just hang out there," said Jan Petersen, Mr. Eash's granddaughter. "He'd introduce us to everyone that came in." Mr. Eash entertained his family and his employees with stories of his younger days, like the way he trained a horse that nobody else could break. He loved to sing, and he taught his children World War I songs like "K-K-K- Katie." He was also something of an adventurer. Fox said one of her earliest memories was of her father taking her to the airfield for a ride in an open- cockpit plane. And one time, she said, he rode across the Oklahoma salt plains on a motorcycle and ran out of gas and Clyde Cessna, who was flying there, helped him out. And, of course, she said, he loved his job. Mr. Eash bypassed retirement and kept working, at least as a manager, until early this year. His hours were so regular, tailor Sharon Crow said, you could set your watch by them. He always was dressed impeccably, she said, in a suit, vest and tie. No matter what, Mr. Eash was always exuberant about life, Fox said. Even at the end, when he was in the nursing home, he'd give his children and grandchildren the "OK" sign and tell them everything was going to be fine. ''He would sing at the nursing home," Fox said. "The nurses told me he would sing, and they would sing with him." Mr. Eash is survived by his wife, Golda; his son, Roger, of Chanute; his daughter, Fox; his brother, Lester, of St. Louis; five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Memorials have been established with First United Methodist Church Television Ministry and Wichita Downtown Lions Club. A service is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday, First United Methodist Church.
Wichita Eagle:
Eash, Perry J., 96, Perry Eash Tailor owner, died Wednesday, Aug. 4, 1993. Service 10 a.m. Saturday, First United Methodist Church. Survivors: wife, Golda; son, Roger of Chanute; daughter, Shirley Fox of Wichita; brother, Lester of St. Louis; four grandchildren; eight great- grandchildren. Memorials have been established with First United Methodist Church Television Ministry and Wichita Downtown Lions Club. Cochran Mortuary. [Note: Golda Eash died in June of 1995]
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