Edward Joseph Birmingham

Birmingham, Edward Joseph
Edward Joseph Birmingham, a resident of Phoenix, Arizona for all but the first 2 weeks of his life, passed away Wednesday, December 22, 2010, peacefully in his sleep with his loving wife Sue by his side. He was born May 23, 1933 in Indiana but moved with his parents to Phoenix, Arizona two weeks later. Ed and his wife, Sue Stewart Birmingham, met while in high school, 1952, married others, met again in 1992 and married in 1993. He was honorably discharged from the United States Navy in 1958 where he served as a Corpsman, assigned to the Marines. He was a graduate of North Phoenix High School, Phoenix College and the University of Arizona, Tucson and a member of Phi Delta Theta. Ed's business career included Disaster Loan Officer, U. S. Government; manager of the commodity department for Shearson, a New York Stock Exchange Member Firm; Manager Commodity Dept., Merrill Lynch, Phoenix, Az.; President & owner of Squirt Bottling Company, Phoenix, and later with Master Craft Home Builders and developer and partner of Storage Solutions, a self-storage facility all in the Phoenix market. Ed and Sue were the owners of Apacheland Movie Ranch, a well-known western movie and TV location since the mid 1950s. They bought the property 25 years ago, restored it and increased its size. Apacheland continued as a movie set, but active western town with a popular Restaurant and Saloon until fire razed it on Valentine's Day, 2004. He was a founder of the social club called the Paladin Social Club (named after the TV series "Paladin" which was filmed at Apacheland) where member's mostly from the Gold Canyon area, would meet on Thursday night, smoke cigars, enjoy libations in Old West surroundings and discuss the affairs of the community solving many of the problems that faced the growing area starting when the population of the "town" numbered in the hundreds and which numbers more than 8000 today. His happiest days were spent at Apacheland Movie Ranch where he became involved in many civic activities in the Apache Junction/Gold Canyon communities. He was an active member of the Board of Directors of the Superstition Mountain Historical Society and for the last several years chaired the committee which puts on a fund raising golf Tournament on behalf of the Superstition Mountain Museum. People came from far and wide during the holiday seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas to see the fabulous decorations that were icing to the cake that was Apacheland Movie Ranch. Ed not only oversaw the placement of Christmas lights and other decorations (which took more than a month to set up) he could be found scaling ladders and walking building roof tops as he directed the work, undertaking much of the work himself. Ed was the Marshal of Apacheland and he and his six Deputy Marshals kept the peace and the merriment and the fun going. The Superstition Mountain Museum celebrates the history of the western movie town and the generosity of the Birminghams for donating the two surviving buildings of the great fire of 2004 that leveled Apacheland….the Audie Murphy Barn and the Elvis Memorial Chapel…both of which continue to attract visitors from all over the world who have the many films which originated there. Ed is survived by his wife, Sue, son Thomas, daughter Cecily Coburn, four step children; Mary Sue Simmons, Robert, Stewart, and Matlock Schilleman, six grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. Memorial services to be held Sunday, December 26, 2010 at the Superstition Mountain Museum, Memorial Chapel, N 4087 N Apache Trail, Hwy 88, Apache Junction Az at 12 noon.