Edward Renold Zaleski

Edward Renold Zaleski II was born in Milwaukee just two short years after World War II. His family moved to Chula Vista in 1951, with a short one-year stint in Phoenix along the way. In 1963 their family moved to Tustin, CA, where they remained. Ed graduated from Tustin High School in 1966, just as the Vietnam War was heating up. As an Eagle Scout he felt it to be his duty to join the Air Force shortly after graduation. He served in the Air Force for eight years in the Philippines; Vietnam; Bitburg, Germany; and Phoenix. While in Germany he met and married his wife of 48 years, Irene, who survives him.

After serving his country, Ed moved with his wife back to Tustin, where they raised two children, Tania (Schindler) and Steven, who both survive him. He worked various jobs until he found a home in the medical device industry where he applied his special genius for designing surgical equipment. Working days and attending school at night, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business and worked as an engineer. By the time he retired his name was registered on approximately 22 patents for various medical devices.

In his free time Ed loved to work on all things mechanical, especially cars and airplanes. He was a regular at the Chino Airport on Saturdays, helping friends work on and build airplanes. He was a longtime member of the Experimental Aircraft Association. In between, he restored a 1956 and a 1966 Thunderbird, and even served as president of the local T-bird club. Ed additionally designed and built a 3d printer and taught his grandson how to use it.

Everyone agrees that Ed was a kind, generous, and helpful person who would happily drop whatever he was doing to lend a hand to a friend. He will be sorely missed by his family and all who knew him. Besides his wife and children, Ed is survived by his two sisters, Chris and Roxanne Carroll, and his four grandchildren, Tyler, Corbin, Ellie and Abby.

Services are planned for Sunday July 7, at Fairhaven Memorial Park at 2:30pm.