He was born December 8, 1954 in Pittsburgh, PA. Ed was a 1972 graduate of South High School in Pittsburgh, PA. Even after 40 years in the Chicago area he still considered Pittsburgh home.. He remained a life long Pirates and Steelers fan. He passed on his love for the the Pittsburgh teams to his children.. Of course, we proudly have a Terrible Towel.

Ed was an avid baseball fan and collected all kinds of baseball cards and memorabilia. His interest in baseball lead him to study the history of the Negro Leagues and he became somewhat an expert. His favorite place to go was the movie site of Field of Dreams. Our whole family took him  this Spring, where he enjoyed watching his grandchildren playing baseball.

Another passion was for all kinds of music. At one point he owned over 2000 vinyl albums which included all different types of genres. His favorite performer from the time he was a teenager was Tommy James. He (and eventually we) went to many of his concerts. In later years, he actually met Tommy James several times and, if he was at a concert, Tommy would acknowledge him.

Ed worked in the jewelry business for over 40 years and was well known and respected in the industry. He began his career as a stock boy with Wilkens Jewelers in Pittsburgh(where he met his wife)and eventually worked his way up through the ranks, working for Kaufmanns, Saks Fifth Avenue, Montgomery Ward, Sears, and Jan Bell Marketing, where he became  President of the company. He was a Certified Gemologist.

He was proceeded in death by his mother, Julia and sister Julie  Mielnicki.

Ed is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Jenny, two children, Joanna (Aaron) Robbins and James (Hannah) Tufexis. He was the proud grandfather of Isaac, Ethan and Lydia Robbins, and Everett Tufexis.

Services were private. The family asks that any donations can be made in his name to the American Heart Association.

Arrangements by the Butala Funeral Home and Crematory in Sycamore, IL.

To sign the online guest book, go to www.butalafuneralhomes.com