My great-great uncle Edward W. Chrencik, "Uncle Ed" died on February 5. He was 92 years old and had been married to his wife Dorothy for 62 years. Before I knew him he had already lived an incredible life. He served in the US Air Force during WWII, held a pilot's license for 65 years and owned 15 different land and sea planes, and was a pioneering podiatric surgeon who made many important and lasting contributions in his field.
The Ed I knew was long retired, but still full of life. He had countless hobbies to keep him busy and was always eager to share with us what he had been up to since we last visited. He gardened the most delicious cherry tomatoes and always had a new flavor of his own wine for us to try. Despite having lost most of his vision he continued to develop new inventions and products in his basement. He enjoyed going out for breakfast and always managed to convince us that it was his turn to pay. He never ran out of stories to tell. His life was full of crazy encounters, shocking circumstances, or famous acquaintances, and he remembered them all in great detail! His tales always left us shaking our heads in amazement. He could always make us laugh, whether intentionally with a funny story or unintentionally with his unapologetic lack of political correctness! :)
He was an amazing person and a great, great uncle. We miss him already.
Left to right Ed, Dorothy, my grandma and grandpa
My great-great uncle Ed and his nephew, my grandpa
Ed in the middle of telling us a riveting story
On February 9 my mom and I attended Ed's funeral. It was a very sad occasion as we said goodbye to someone we loved, but it was also a time we took to celebrate his life. Dorothy was in pretty good spirits and smiled fondly with each memory of Ed that was shared.
Ed's wife Dorothy is on the left
Dorothy with their neighbor and close friend
They have a great relationship.
