Edward H. Bruckner

Our dad, Ed Bruckner, was an amazing man! He was a loving son, brother, husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, grandfather-in-law, great-grandfather, uncle, and neighbor. He lived a long and happy life always surrounded by the love of family and friends. He was a creative person who loved to keep constantly busy with work and projects.

He beat the odds many times throughout his life. And we are very thankful for that.

The first time was a day back in 1972 when our dad was only 54. He had a heart attack. Back then it was very serious and we didn’t know if he would live through the night. And he went on to live 43 more years!

Ed was born on September 30, 1918 on the south side of Chicago. He told us many times about how he lived above a tavern owned by his father from Germany. Unfortunately when Ed was only 3 months old his father died of influenza during the historic Flu Epidemic of 1918. At that time Ed had two siblings, his sister, Dorothy and his brother, Harold. Later his mother remarried and he had two more siblings, Roger and Louise.

When Ed was a teenager, his mother died. So for a person who himself lived so long, both of his parents were gone before he was 20 years old.

It was Lorraine Linden, our beautiful mother, who filled the void in his life. He met her as a teenager, fell in love, married in 1941 and they were together for 67 years. He loved her very much although at times they had little spats which he blamed on her Irish temper. The only time that Ed and Lorraine were apart in those 67 years were the 4 years that he was in the army.

Our Dad was a World War II veteran. He was drafted in the Spring of 1941 and became a Supply Sergeant serving in the South Pacific on the Solomon and Philippine Islands. He always said he didn’t want to talk about the war. But there were a few favorite stories he told us many times. He was proud to serve in the Americal Division. Even in the South Pacific he was creative, crafting a piece of metal from a downed plane into a picture frame to keep Lorraine’s picture close to him. He also took pictures while he was overseas and later our mom put them together in a scrapbook.

After the war was over in 1945, he was ready to move on with his life – buying his first new car, a 1948 Pontiac Torpedo which he loved. He would have many cars over the years but this one was always his favorite. He went back to the job he started earlier at Harper-Wyman, a company that made gas stove parts. He continued to work there for 39 years first in Chicago then in Princeton, Illinois, moving up from a Foreman to Production Superintendent.

After the war too, Ed and Lorraine bought their first house on South Central Park in Chicago and they started a family. As you can see, they had three beautiful children, the oldest Ed, middle child Linda, and the baby, Jan. We lived in that house in Chicago for about 20 years.

Our dad was a great father! He made sure we always had fun things to do – a pool in the summer, an ice rink in the yard in the winter, and family vacations each year.

As busy as he was with work and family, he always found time for side projects. When we were kids he had his own TV repair business that he worked on in his spare time. But no matter what he was doing, if we needed something, we came first.

Dad always reminded us of how difficult his oldest child Ed Jr. was. At almost every family event he would bring up how often he had to bail Eddie out of some trouble he was in. If we didn’t know better we would think Ed was a juvenile delinquent in his younger days. That was the relationship Ed and our dad had – always loving but also ready to argue on any point. It was probably because they were too much alike. But my brother was always grateful for the projects our dad did for him – from making shelves for his video store to making furniture and playground equipment for his daycare. Dad was always willing to help!

Of course for Jan and I – we weren’t the trouble makers Ed was, so in Dad’s eyes we could do no wrong. He was always there to support us in any way we needed. Jan and I are grateful for all the projects he did for us over the years also.

Dad loved music, especially Glen Miller and the Big Bands. He bought lots of albums and played them every Sunday in the 1960s on a stereo that he still has at his house. He would record music off of the albums onto cassette tapes to take on car trips. He also recorded music off of the radio. He listened to those tapes every morning.

When our mom and dad retired in 1981 they moved to Florida. Besides the warm weather, they wanted to be close to Jan, Ed, and their granddaughter Sherry.

Ed was a wonderful father-in-law to Mike Robinson, Mike Riley and Judi. All of his woodworking projects inspired my husband to be the talented craftsman he is today.

Ed was a loving grandfather to Sherry Morgan, Kris and Clay Robinson, Colette Kennedy, Brandt and Mark Miller, and Elisabeth Bruckner. Our mom and dad travelled to Florida to visit Sherry when she was little. And they travelled back to Illinois every 3-4 month to visit Kris, Clay and Colette in Macomb. That is why my kids have so many happy memories of Grandpa – fixing apple pancakes, doing magic tricks, building projects around the house, being there for birthdays, and bringing a car load of presents before Christmas. Also making sure the kids had a sandy play area when we visited them on the lake. And all the hugs and kisses were a bonus!

Brandt, Mark and Elisabeth got to know Grandpa in Florida. And since Elisabeth was very young she has many happy memories of times with Grandpa too.

Living a long life also means you are lucky enough to know your great grandchildren, Brandie, Sierra, Cameron, Isis, Carter, and Spencer.

Great Grandpa was truly blessed!

After our mom died 7 years ago, Ed lost his desire to work on projects or do much of anything. He found a new pastime – watching his favorite show, Walker Texas Ranger and he loved old Westerns. He gradually slowed down, getting a much needed and deserved rest.

During the last 18 months Jan and Mike gave Dad the best gift of all – love and care in their home and enhancing his quality of life. I know he appreciated their love and care every day. And we are forever grateful for that.

Ed hoped to live to be 100 years old to get the letter from the President. But, quoting one of his favorite phrases - What Da Hell – 97 years is one great accomplishment!

Our dad was amazing! He was a hard-working, creative and loving person. He is gone from our sight but he is re-united with our mom, the love of his life. And he will be forever in our hearts.

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Edward H. Bruckner, 97, of Lutz, passed away peacefully on Friday, October 16, 2015. He served as Staff Sergeant in the US Army during WWII in the South Pacific. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lorraine and survived by son, Ed (Judi) of Safety Harbor; daughters, Linda (Mike), of Macomb, IL, and Jan (Mike), of Oldsmar; 7 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren. He will be remembered for his love of family, his wit, beautiful woodworking, and he will be in our hearts forever. Special thanks for the support of the Green Team at Suncoast Hospice. The visitation will be held at Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home 2853 Sunset Point Rd, Clearwater, FL 33759, on Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 1pm. The funeral service will be in the chapel at 2pm, followed by a “Life Well Celebrated” reception in the Funeral Home Suites at 2:30pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Suncoast Hospice, 2771 Roosevelt Blvd., Clearwater, FL 33760. Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.