25 in '25: Ed Shibley's dedication to the Lebanese Food Festival, and his neighbors, spans decades

It’s best to let the people who know Ed Shibley describe Ed Shibley.

“I think Dad is a man of few words,” said son Paul Shibley. “But they're always important words. He leads by example.”

Paul is one of five siblings in the Shibley family, though the number of family members swells immensely when you add in the grandchildren, whose pictures are strategically placed throughout Ed’s house in Westover Hills. They fight for space next to a wood paneled wall filled with a handful of framed pictures also strategically placed.

“That's all my daughters and granddaughters and daughters-in-law's,” said Ed, who at 96 has a perfect view of all the pictures of his large family from his favorite chair. A framed picture of his late wife and the mother of their children sits at the top.

“It was a big family. His parents lived here and then seven of us in this house. So it was always very active,” said oldest daughter Cathy George. 

It’s the dedication to his family, his church and his neighborhood that drew neighbor Andy Thompson to nominate Shibley for The Richmonder’s 25 in '25.

“I almost struggle to put it into words,” said Thompson. “[He’s] like the epitome of decency. He's the guy that has ice cream ready for when my daughter and her friends knock on the back door. He's the opposite of the ‘get-off-my-lawn’ old man. He has this amazing wealth of local knowledge.”

That local knowledge of Richmond stretches back decades. 

“I was born February 27th, 1929 and we moved in 1938 to Church Hill,” said Shibley, adding that his family later moved to what is now the Fan District. “It used to be called Addison Street. They changed the name to Strawberry Street about 20 years ago. My father used to make ice cream and deliver it all over the city when we were on Addison Street.”

Ed’s family also ran restaurants, said George.

“Before he had all of us, he and the family had restaurants,” she said. “This is why he cooks so well. They ran restaurants on Addison Street. They had Shibley's End [on] Church Hill,” adding that her father also ran restaurants when he was older. “He had Paul's Place in West Hampton Pharmacy for ten years.”

George said her father kept working multiple jobs even after his kids were born.

“By the time he had his children, he worked as a salesman, and he worked at Uncle Ferris's, [and] Westover Grill at night. Then he also worked in the National Guard so he had three jobs and kept us in Catholic school,” she said.

Shibley also attended the Virginia Military Institute and spent eight years in the National Guard as a Master Sergeant. He also worked as a salesman, selling confectionery supplies, like candies and cups to stores in the city. But it’s his connection with the Lebanese Food Festival that has created a solid fanbase. 

“The original Shibleys were Maronite Catholics in Lebanon who escaped persecution in their home country and immigrated to Richmond,” wrote Thompson in his nomination. “Mr. Shibley is a pillar of Saint Anthony Maronite Catholic Church in Glen Allen.”

Daughter Cathy said her father was always active in the church. 

“He was on the parish council. He helped with altar servers,” she said. “He used to make us sit in the very front row of the church, and then tap us when we were misbehaving.”

Thompson said that it’s at the yearly Lebanese Food Festival where Ed Shibley shines. 

“Every year, including this one, at 96, Ed Shibley is part of the team that, in February, starts cooking and freezing the food to be served in May,” said Thompson. “He does not miss a day of cooking.”

Shibley said he’s been working at the Lebanese Food Festival since it started and uses grape leaves from his garden to make many of the dishes. 

“We just had our 40th anniversary,” he said, adding they make “Pies. Meat pies, spinach pies, cheese pies. Maybe 40,000.”

He continued cooking even after his wife of 53 years passed away because the festival is a family affair. 

“Every Tuesday we'd pick him up at 10 and he would cook until three,” said George. “96-years-old, and baking until three in the afternoon. He ran the booth for years and then passed it to his son-in-law. And then he passed it to his girls. So it runs in the family.”

Outside of all the festival preparations, the Sibley family really connects every Sunday for a huge get together.

“Literally every single Sunday, dozens upon dozens of Shibleys from four different generations come to his house and have a party,” said Thompson. “There'd be 8-year-olds and 10-year-olds, throwing footballs in the backyard.”

The weekly routine is a way for everyone to check in with their father and grandfather. 

“Everybody gets together and I see my grandchildren, great-grandchildren,” said Ed. “We take turns cooking.”

However, George said her father has eased up on the Sunday cooking duties.

“It used to be just him, but then we took over a little bit when he turned 92,” she said. “We took over. We rotate amongst the five children and grandchildren and just keep going all year.”

Shibley said it’s important to have weekly family meetings and he has some advice for how to do it.

“The main thing is to be very strict with the family,” he said. “Make sure the family sticks together, which a lot of families don't do now.”