Obituary
With heavy hearts we share the peaceful passing of our father, husband, grandfather, great grandfather, stepfather, father-in-law and friend, Ed Press at 93 years young.
Ed was predeceased by his first wife, Helen; his parents Douglas and Carrie; brother, Doug; and several friends. He leaves behind his wife Olwyn; his children Stephen (Jill) and Judith (Jim); his grandchildren Christy, Tammy, Michael and Christopher; six great grandchildren; two stepdaughters Kathy and Marion; step-grandchildren Ashley and Rheanne; and five step-great grandchildren.
Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, it remained his home along with many years spent living in Chestermere, Alberta. Ed attended Balmoral School (his grandfather designed the clock on the tower which remains to this day), and he attended Western Canada High School.
Helen, his beloved wife of 34 years predeceased him in 1990. In 1994 he met and soon married Olwyn. They were together for 26 years until his passing. Not many can boast two long successful marriages in one lifetime.
As a career, Ed was the foreman of GSL Paint & Body shop for 22 years, then opted to move into car sales being concerned with the health risks of working with paint fumes. He quickly rose to sales manager and often dubbed salesman-of-the-month. Later, he built a successful business with machines to clean the beer lines in hotels.
Ed was a good man – strong, talented and fiercely independent with numerous hobbies and interests. He remained in his own home which he kept up until some heart issues in 2020 after which his children took over care of his yard and walkways. Ed continued to cook the meals, pick crab apples from his tree to make and share his delicious jelly, along with regular baking of various outstanding cookies! Always a hit with his camping club.
Ed was an avid hunter and fisherman. He fed his young family with deer, elk, moose and antelope while Helen maintained a large back garden as money was tight in the late `50s with a vehicle, new home mortgage and two young children. Even loading his own bullets and shot gun shells was a hobby. Later his hunting turned toward a hobby of trap, skeet and target shooting with which he secured the Provincial Senior Men`s gold medal. Ed was an accomplished fisherman and spent many pleasant years travelling in his motor home, mostly around Alberta, camping and fishing with Olwyn.
After Helen passed, Ed took up square dancing as he had always enjoyed jive & waltz – both Helen and Ed were good dancers. It was during his square dancing and camping club that he met Olwyn.
In the `80s Ed took up lapidary and gold smithing as a hobby and enjoyed making several pieces of beautiful jewellery for his wife, daughter and some bolo ties for himself. With lapidary, he also became a “rockhound”, finding many treasures in his great outdoors and mountain hikes.
Ed enjoyed farm/cowboy life and was often found visiting his good friends in Okotoks area helping to brand the animals and general farm hand activities. Later in life he took up fly fishing and began making his own intricate hooks. He studied mushrooms and he confidently cooked and enjoyed several he found in the wild. Wine making was another hobby and he continued to turn out many good batches.
In 1952 with the birth of his first child Stephen, Ed leased a lot on Chestermere Lake together with his best friend (since grade one), Tom Clark. Ed and Tom found a barn that had been demolished in Calgary and used the second-hand lumber to build a one room cottage on the lot. Soon after, Tom bought a lot at Sylvan Lake and thus sold his share in Chestermere to Ed. A wonderful place that Ed`s family and friends enjoyed every summer and many times throughout the years making lasting memories.
In the early `70s, once the kids were grown and gone, Ed built a house on the lake lot where he and Helen moved and spent many happy years until Helen`s passing. Ed sold the house and moved back to Calgary a couple of years after. Soon thereafter, Ed married Olwyn and they continued to enjoy their camping, fishing and square dancing. Driving his motorhome right up until his passing!
There wasn’t much that Ed couldn’t build or repair, mechanical or otherwise. He remained healthy and free of prescription drugs right up until early 2020 when he developed atrio fibrillation which was finally controlled with no less than five prescriptions that he managed twice per day. He adapted so well!
Ultimately, it was a hole in his stomach that took his life suddenly a year and half later…
Ed loved life, his family and friends, meeting new people and he so loved animals and nature.
May you Rest in Peace Ed/Dad and know that you were so loved – a good man – honest and true – a loving husband and father with many friends; you lived a good long healthy full life.
Epitaph On A Friend
An honest man here lies at rest,
The friend of man, the friend of truth,
The friend of age, the guide of youth;
Few hearts like his, with virtue warm’d,
Few heads with knowledge so inform’d;
If there’s another world, he lives in bliss;
If there is none, he made the best of this.
Robbie Burns
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Ed Francis Edmund Press February 16 1928 June 30 2021 (age 93)..
Death notice for the town of: Calgary, Province: Alberta