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The fact that Edith considers herself as having lived a good life is a testament to her strength and resilience considering all she’s endured. The loss of a loved one is never easy, but the loss of a child is devastating, and Edith has experienced that loss; not once, but twice. Her first born, Charles, who was born while she and her husband Herb were still in college, died just shy of his fourth birthday. “He died from an unknown virus, very suddenly,” Edith said, adding that after his death she became overly protective of Nita, who was two at the time. Edith’s dedication to her family provided her the strength to move forward and ready herself for the arrival of her third child, Ruth, who was born soon after. A year later, in 1955, her youngest daughter, Jane, joined the family. Providing the love and guidance her daughters needed after surviving the loss of her son is proof of Edith’s courage and an example of strength and fortitude to her daughters. “I just can’t imagine all that she’s been through having the death of a child so young,” Nita said. Over five decades later, in January 2010, Edith experienced that same loss when Jane, at the age of 55, passed away. “It was a struggle, alcohol just took over,” Edith said. Edith has never allowed the losses in her life to keep her down. Among her many accomplishments are her successful 60-year marriage, owning her own business, and completing her college education. Edith is also a giver, and her service to the community was recognized in 1989 when she was selected by the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce as Woman of the Year. “She has done a lot for the city of Gilroy and I’m very proud of that,” Nita said. “She still donates her time, she makes soup for the homeless at the Veterans Hall, she’s on the Historical Society, and she donates her time to the museum twice a month.” Since moving back to Gilroy, Nita has followed in her mother’s footsteps, and has gotten involved in the community as well. She’s currently a member of the Gavilan College Foundation Board and the Gilroy Rotary Club. Her daughter Ruth, who resides in Lubbock, Texas, with her husband Mike, is the proud mother of four, two girls and two boys. “They’re spread out all over the place,” Ruth said. “I have one in Florida, one in California, one in New Mexico, and one in Texas, and I have nine grandchildren.” Ruth stays in touch with Edith on a regular basis and considers her mother someone who is able to accomplish anything she sets her mind to. “My mom will do anything. She tiled, she made posters, anything she wanted done she made it happen,” Ruth said, adding, “she believes strength is the greatest gift her mother passed down to her daughters.” “I think all three of us girls, Nita and I especially, are pretty strong, strong minded, and strong willed,” Ruth said. “It came straight from her.” GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN As for Edith, she believes the best advice she’s provided her daughters has been the importance of achieving your goals. “Some of them are easy and some of them are hard, and whatever they are, it’s your responsibility and you follow through,” Edith said, adding, “Nobody can do it for you, you have to do it on your own,” which is exactly what Edith has done all throughout her life. A Mother, Her Son, Real Estate Team Marta Maloney and Sean Dinsmore R enowned local realtor Marta Maloney, 61, learned from her mother, Laurel Maloney, the value of learning from your mistakes. “My mom, she did give us freedom and we made mistakes, and we had to account for those, but she was not critical of us at all, always supportive,” Marta said. Marta recalled that her mother always encouraged her and her two brothers to be independent; a trait she has passed on to her own sons. Today, Sean Dinsmore, 36, and the eldest of Marta’s sons, is following in her footsteps, garnering a successful reputation in the real estate world, just like his mother. “The overall sense of being a good person and caring for others, I think that was something that was ingrained in us,” Sean said. He attributes his good business sense to her as well. “I would definitely want to raise my family in that way, to prepare them for success,” he added. Marta’s middle son Ryan, 33, owns a commercial landscape april/may 2019 gmhtoday.com 67