Edward J Onsel

Edward John Onsel, Jr., age 85, of Charlotte, NC passed away on September 15, 2019 at MerryWood on Park, an Assisted Living Community. He asked that his body be donated to UNC-Chapel Hill Medical School, where he has been since his passing. Ultimately, he wishes to be buried at the National Military Cemetery in Salisbury, NC, with full military honors (date TBD, perhaps in 2021).

He was born in Fostoria, Ohio, the youngest child of Edward Onsel, Sr., and Laurel Lucille Bonawit. He and his three older sisters grew up in Risingsun Ohio:

• Mary (Norm) Asmus of Woodville, OH

• Helen (Ted) Lesniak of Parma Heights, OH

• Sara (Thomas) Leizear of Lutherville, MD

He attended the school in Risingsun, Ohio, from 1939 through 1950, during World War II. WWII ended when he was in the 6th grade. He graduated from Risingsun High School in May, 1951, as its Valedictorian.

Ed majored in Petroleum Engineering while attending “Buckeye Boys State” (Ohio State University) from September 1951 through this graduation on December 20, 1956.

Italics are from his hand-written memoire …

“Worked for Shell Oil Co. as a roustabout 6/54 to 9/54 at Denver City, Texas...Worked six weeks for Standard Oil of Indiana at Hayes, Kansas 1/20/57 to 3/5/57. Fighting to avoid being drafted, was accepted at (Naval) Officers Candidate School at Newport, RI…graduated and commissioned on 9/5/57.”

Ed joined the U.S. Navy as an officer LTJG, the second commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, and served aboard the USS Assurance (MSO-521), a minesweeper, whose task was removing mines that had been placed in the water to prevent the safe passage of ships.

“…drove ’57 VW across the country through the Rocky Mountains (36 horse power) to Long Beach, CA to first duty station as Operations (communications) officer on USS Prime (MSO-446) (ocean-going wooden minesweeper). Transferred to Wisconsin Oct. ‘58 to new construction USS Assurance (MSO-521)

…In Jan ’59, ship transferred to Panama City, Fla…on return trip, starboard engine nearly exploded. We all would have been lost at sea.” (an engine exploding into a wooden hull is a no-no in the Navy).

He completed his active duty commitment and was honorably discharged Sept. 5, 1960.

He met his future wife, Laura Faye Albritton in Jacksonville, FL around this time. They were married on November 25, 1961 and lived in Fostoria, Ohio in the 1960s and early 1970s with their three children:

• b. 1963 - Gregory John Onsel (Lorna), of Arlington, WA

• b. 1965 - Michelle Onsel Rivers, husband James C. Rivers, Jr. of Mooresville, NC

• b. 1968 - Michael David Onsel of Richmond, VA

“In early ‘64 we bought the house at 2397 Hawthorne Rd., Fostoria, OH, to get more space…the perfect place to raise children – lots of outdoor space on a dead-end street with great neighbors no traffic…”

“I was active in the church, moving from deacon to ruling elder in about 6-7 years, while selling plumbing wholesale on the road for Onsel Bros at Risingsun, working under Norm Asmus, Mary’s husband, for 25 years until 12/85, when he retired & I moved up to Pres., and came in off the road after 1,000,000 miles in NW Ohio nans SE Michigan.”

Ed and Laura were divorced in January 1975.

“I met Ruth Larabee in April of ’84 and we became loving partners soon thereafter, remaining so until her tragic death 11/23/05 of a fatal brain tumor…We had travelled from Hawaii in 1991 to England in 1/99, Ireland in Aug. & Sept. 2000, and to six nations of Europe in June 2001…We had visited Yosemite, Grand Canyon…and drove Rt. 1, along the cliffs and the sea, from Santa Barbara to Monterey.”

“Sold Onsel Bros. On 8/18/01, and retired.”

“…invitation to attend a cocktail buffet at the White House, evening of 12/2/04, where we had our photo taken with the First Couple.”

“Ruth and I enjoyed bicycling together from Fall 2000 to April 2004…”

Ed also loved to read novels by James Michener, John Steinbeck and Tom Clancy among many others, as well as to read poetry by W. B. Yeats, Rudyard Kipling and Robert Frost. He also spend many days reading (and editing) the Bible and several books by Billy Graham. He attended many symphony orchestra concerts of his favorite artists, Handel’s “Messiah”, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff as well as the Boston Pops. He also had several old “45s” of George Gershwin.

Anyone who ever sent him a card or letter can be assured he kept them throughout his life.

Ed moved to Charlotte, NC in August 2011 to live near his daughter until passing quietly in his bed, surrounded by his children, in September 2019.

Ed is remembered as a son, brother, father and friend throughout his long, full life and many adventures.