Ed Charon, 71, Held Records For Ripping Phonebooks
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Ed Charon, a retired pastor who gained fame for ripping apart telephone books, died Sunday after returning from Easter services in Roseburg, Ore. He was 71.
In September, Charon tore through 56 Portland white directories, each 1,006 pages long, in three minutes, claiming a Guiness World Record for the fifth time.
He then retired from performing such feats for the record books. He’d taken up tearing directories in 1998, at age 63, after seeing someone else do it on television.
He had massive hands — a 16 1/2 ring size, about six sizes larger than a typical man’s.
Charon visited prisons in Oregon, Idaho, and other states to minister to inmates and to spread the message that they could make positive changes in their lives.
He also spoke to high school students and at other venues, such as the county fair. On a “Tonight” show appearance, the comedian Robin Williams dubbed him “The Reverend Shredder.”
“He had a gift and he used that gift to talk about healthy living and making good choices,” Roseburg Mayor Larry Rich said.
