Edward Robert Demske

A man of a strong Christian faith, Edward Robert Demske was faithful, hardworking, reliable and loving. He had an ornery side, was dependable and was utopia- the perfect dad. He loved his family and always provided for them. He cherished his six grandchildren and any time he spent with his family.

With the United States being involved in WWII, much of the country was adapting life to help with the war efforts. GM and Ford turned car production into aircraft engines and bomb making equipment. 1943 marked the completion of the Pentagon and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C., the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was created as well as the invention of the slinky. On July 10, Mark R. and Julia E. (Froehly) Demske were happy to announce another event of 1943 as they announced the birth of their son, Edward Robert Demske in Kendallville, Indiana.

The value of hard work was instilled in Ed at an early age. He and his family lived on various farms throughout several counties and Ed had plenty of chores to keep him busy. Going into his senior year, his parents moved from the Arcola area in Allen County to north of Larwill in Whitley County. Ed wanted to graduate from Arcola High School and he was able to with the help of a nearby neighbor who was a teacher there. He graduated with the Class of 1961. He was involved with the Future Farmers of America throughout school and also was part of the Rural Youth and he enjoyed square dancing.


In his adult work career, Ed started working for Monsanto in Ligonier, Stuckey Appliances in Fort Wayne and then on to Materials Handling in New Haven where he was a mechanic traveling the road to repair fork trucks. In 1965 during the Vietnam War, Ed was drafted in the U.S. Army. While he served our country he kept in contact with local friends he met through the Rural Youth program. After being honorably discharged in 1967, Ed returned to work at Materials Handling.

One particular friend never left his mind while he served in Vietnam and when he returned home, he started a relationship with Judith D. Geiger that would blossom into a lifetime of wonderful memories. On May 3, 1969 the couple was married at St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church in Columbia City. They bought an unfinished home that had a basement complete and Ed would "finish" the build and later on remodel it over the years. Ed and Judy welcomed four wonderful daughters into their hearts, Tamara, Angela, Christina and Sara and raised them in that home.

Ed went to work at Essex and with the new General Motors plant coming to Fort Wayne; he made the decision to start at new job at BF Goodrich in Woodburn. He worked there for 18 years, retiring in 2008. He and Judy also bought Handy Andy Rental in Columbia City in the late 1970s. When they moved the business location to Main Street, they renamed it E & J Rental Inc. They also owned Toys Unlimited until 2011 where they specialized in die cast farm toys. He had a passion for the farm toys and they would rent at the Whitley County 4-H center to host shows.

Being a religious man, Ed enjoyed watching religious shows and reading his bible. He was a member of Oak Grove Church of God, the American Legion and a lifetime member of the VFW. Ed volunteered his time for several years at the Union Township Fire Department. He found relaxation tinkering around his garage and outside doing yardwork and collecting buckets full of hickory nuts over the years.

Life will never be the same for his family when they received the news that he passed away at 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at Northwoods Village in Fort Wayne at the age of 75. Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Judy Demske; his four good girls, Tammie Lowrance, Angie (Todd) Chalk, Christy (Jeff) Chapman and Sara Demske, all of Columbia City; and six grandchildren; Travis Chalk, Dustin Lowrance, Cheyenne Lowrance; Lexy Chapman, Luke Chalk and Reed Chapman. He was preceded in death by his parents; and a brother, James Demske.

Visitation is 1-5 p.m. Sunday, November 4, 2018 at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Monday at the funeral home with Pastor Steve Johnson officiating. Burial will follow at Union Township Cemetery. Memorial gifts may be given in his memory to Oak Grove Church of God or Visiting Nurse & Hospice Home. Visit www.demoneygrimes.com to send his family condolences online.