For my dad,

How do I even begin....there are so many memories that I will forever hold in my heart. You called me "the doll" from the time I was a baby girl up until your final days on this earth.  It always made me smile and I will always be daddy's little girl. I'm so thankful that I had the gift of spending the last 2 months of your life with you. We had so many good times daddy. I'm so sad that you're gone but I know that I'll see you again.  Thank you for being you! You are so loved, admired and respected by all who knew you. I'm blessed that God chose you to be my dad and I look forward to the day that I get to see you again. I love you daddy! Forever ~"the doll"

Part 2 - 

Introduced me to blaze foley - sat and watched four hours of tales from the tour bus with me - only time I’ve seen him sit and watch tv 

Undocumented tree trimmers came by - found a way to pay them to trim trees and provide them with help - a lesson in compassion 

Lower 40 - the big hole - would travel to collect rocks for projects 

Model rocket landed in trees - said it was pieces of Columbia - just now realized he was kidding - incredible sense of humor 

71 years old - had the body of a 45 year old 

71 years old - had the love, admiration and respect of everyone that knew him

Love you grandpa 

Cody 

I’m his grandson, I sat down one night and really tried to go through and list as many memories as I could - here they are in two parts 

Ed Hester, a conductor on the Union Pacific line 
Just like his father before him 
Hemisfair San Antonio - riverwalk just being built. Worked at pizza pete’s, saw so many inventions at the fair, showed newspaper clipping about it - might try to locate 
Ride from mexico to Houston - slept in small towns along the way - much drinking and grilling at a roach infested barracks somewhere in the valley. Witnessed many tragedies on the railroad tracks, would see cleanup crews and what was left behind - remarkably mentally strong despite this. Worked a paper route when he was 12 years old, worked for around 59 years of his life. Bought a home in the valley after Kids moved out of house in SA. Flew a kite with me in a sprawling, green, backyard - I was 3 or 4? Would often fly my mother and I to Harlingen where he lived: very sentimental, wouldn’t often show it. Held on to memories of his former life living with Omi and my mother and uncles.

Cut once measure twice - very important 

Money does not buy happy - very important 

Do your own research - very important 

Hold on to what matters - very important 

Lived with him, saw quirks, knew he loved everyone anyway 

Would drive his kids across border to mexico - visit restaurant called Arturo’s - he called it the “American embassy” on account of tourist numbers 

Your dogs were getting tired of watching cnn 

Wanted to make things right, in any circumstance. 
Would not ever admit it 

Put his family above all else, including himself 

Had nice things and worked to keep them nice 

“You want me to punch his lights out?”

Big Willie nelson fan 

Paused working, requested Sarah Mclachlan - Arms of an Angel to be played at his funeral, resumed working 

Knew he was getting older - needed to spend more time with loved ones, made an incredible effort 

Ed gaby and I cry. I cannot express how gracious I am to have met you and gotten to know you these past 9 and a half years. I appreciate how proud you were of me and know that you would have been proud to learn that gaby was chosen to test for her schools gifted and talented program and has passed to the fifth grade. You would always  tell her she was beautiful and she would say… i know. You would break out and laugh! Tell me she was confident of herself. Thank you for everything we will never forget you. Rest in peace!

Grandpa Hester thank you for being a part of my life. For your kindness, for your love, for visiting me, and for your generosity.  I will forever miss you! I will always remember you because you cared about me and took the time! Sleep now with the angels and our God in heaven. I still pray for you at night when mom and I say our prayers and will always love you. Love Gabriella

Sorry to see you go Eddie. May God give you rest and comfort all that mourn for their loss of you.                                                                                     A friend from the railroad.                  Rodney Winn  

To my father-in-law Ed,
I came into this family not knowing what I would find, I was nervous and afraid. However, you eased my feelings from the very first time I met you. You made me feel right at home from the very start. You always had nothing but kind words to say to me. Your son tried to ease my mind before we met by telling me how much you and I had in common. That we would get along just great. And he was right! I can not thank you enough for always making me feel good when you would ask me for decorating advice, or when we would share our favorite cleaning tools/products that we would use around our house. We even completed numerous projects together, whether it was sanding or helping Jim plant some of my favorite plants that I wanted in our yard. You never even hesitated to help me redo those old benches that I dragged home looking like trash, but because I wanted them you took them and made them look brand new. The advice and the knowledge that you shared with Jim and I will never be forgotten. I can not express through words how special you were to me from the very first time I met you. I am going to miss telling Jim to “call your dad and ask for his advice”. You probably never new this about me, but the advice and knowledge that you shared with us meant the world to me and I wish that I would have told you that so much sooner. Thank you Ed for being the best father, the best uncle, the best grandpa, the best neighbor, and the best father-in-law. You will NEVER be forgotten.
Love, Janella

My Uncle Ed was a man of few words and the hardest working son of a gun I've ever known.  He did his best to include all his kid's friends (and me)on amusement park trips, lake camp-outs, river trips, ect.  He didn't know it at the time but he was teaching me what a father does to provide for his family. Even though he worked very hard he always made time to ensure the family always had a good time.  He was an outstanding dad and an even greater grandpa. If anyone deserves eternal rest it is my Uncle Ed. Gone but never forgotten. Te amo Tio!

To Jenni, Jim, Jason & Colton:  
Please accept our sincere condolences.
I like to express my sincere thanks for the following:
•	Walking on up our trash & recycle bins to our garage door; (always brought a smile).
•	Resurrecting our mail box planter with your phantom flowers; (and watering them while you kept things in sleath mode).
•	Feeding our dogs while out on our frequent camping trips; (with post-it notes per day as you staked our mail).
•	Calling me on my way to work and telling me that I left my garage-door open; (which you promptly followed up with, I’ll go over and close it-“I remember the code”).
•	Helping me build the fence between us and Arlene; (knowing that I had a herniated disk, and helping me to the last board).
•	When asking if you could run me to Lowes to pick up something that I needed a truck for; (you always just brought your keys over and would say- “I pulled it out of the garage for you”-as my jaw would ALWAYS fall to the floor). 
•	Driving with me in your truck as we towed the VW van to get the water pump repaired; (as we talked “railroad stuff” and letting me reminisce with you about my grandfather’s railroad stories).
•	For being the “BEST” neighborhood watch dog ever!!

RIP Amigo! We’ll miss you!! Dan & Kim Nichols


My deepest condolences to the family.  My prayers are with you.

As a train dispatcher for Southern Pacific and UP, I liked working with Eddie Hester when he was conductor on the Gregory switcher and McAllen local. He had a great sense of humor.

So many memories I could share. I was blessed to be very close to my grampa. I was working at the Y and he used to come over to take me to work. He would only be at the house for a few minutes each day. Every time he came in he would put on the movie Cast Away and watch maybe 5 minutes of it. This went on for a couple weeks and each day he walked through the door he said “Well I gotta go see if he’s still on that island. He sure has been there a long time.” It would make me laugh every time.  I miss you so much grandpa. 

This isn't much but I remember at the peak of the app Vine (2012-2013), I would often post Vines I found funny on Facebook as a stupid pre-teen. As the non biological family member, I've always been around. During this time, there was one gathering where Grandpa Ed gave me a hug and said "I love those videos you post, don't stop doing it" and I don't know why it has always stuck with me, but it has. I hope now he is getting all the funny videos he can get! All love. Blessings. 

OBITUARY

Lloyd Edward Hester

11 December, 1949 – 5 June, 2021

Colonial Funeral Home

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