Edward R. Zieve, age 96, of Elkhart Lake, died on May 30, 2020, of natural causes. He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on January 20, 1924.
Edward grew up in Massachusetts, got his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, then served as an officer in the Navy in World War II. After the war ended, he got his Masters in Engineering from University of Illinois-Champagne on the GI Bill. He felt eternally grateful to the Navy for funding his entire education, and was never willing to accept recognition for his service since the war ended shortly after he arrived in the Pacific Theater on the USS Cabot.
Edward and Charlotte met at the University of Illinois, and got married in Evanston, IL just a few months after meeting. They were married for 65 years until her passing in 2012. They moved to Milwaukee in 1949 when Ed took a teaching position at MSOE. He went on to found E-Z Engineering, an HVAC sales engineering business, which he ran for more than 20 years. He and Charlotte had 6 kids, all of whom graduated from Nicolet High School.
While he lived in Milwaukee, Ed held a variety of public service positions, including serving on the Village of Bayside board and the school board. His children fondly remember many family traditions, such as sailing the “EZ Duzzit” on Lake Michigan, canoeing on the Wisconsin River, and skiing at Indianhead.
In 1978, Ed started KEES, an HVAC sheet metal fabrication manufacturing business in Elkhart Lake. When he wasn’t working, he was in some sort of boat on Elkhart (Sunfish, windsurfer, kayak, pontoon boat, and ice boat), or traveling the world with Charlotte. Anyone who knew him heard countless stories about his international adventures. Most likely, they heard the story 10 times, each time a bit more embellished.
Everyone who knew Ed marveled at his energy, his longevity, and his storytelling skills. He had a witty sense of humor. Larger than life, Ed was animated, opinionated, and demanding. He continued working at KEES past his 96th birthday, officially retiring just before he passed. He was an avid follower of current events, reading multiple newspapers every day. Ed could discuss any issue regarding politics or history with authority. He was a voracious reader – there was little that made him happier than hearing about the title of a good book that he could then hunt down at the Elkhart Lake Library.
The day before he passed, Ed shared that his greatest achievement was putting his 6 children through more than 40 years of higher education, and getting the whole Zieve clan together, 24 in all, for annual Christmas vacations in the Caribbean and Elkhart Lake summer retreats. His said his biggest regret was not having sailed around the world.
Edward was very philanthropic, and is proud to leave as a legacy a Foundation to support worthy causes. More importantly, he was super supportive of Charlotte’s passions – he said he was too busy at work to do much volunteer work, but he could support her environmental, feminist, and social justice activism with generous funding. In this way, he carried on Charlotte’s legacy, and that legacy will continue.
Preceding Ed in death were his wife, Charlotte, 3 sons – Clifford in 1976, Andrew in 2000, and Gary in 2019 – and his special companion, Judy Shovan in 2020. He is survived by three children – Peter (Maria) of Mukilteo, WA, Wendy (David) of Edmonds, WA, and Kathie Norman (Bob) of Sheboygan. He is also survived by daughters-in-law Chris (Telluride), Sandie (Seattle), June (Northport) and Orna (Tel Aviv). He leaves behind 14 grandchildren – Josh, Sarah, Alex, Olivia, Michael, Nate, Nina, Vivian, Samantha, Matthew, David, Daniel, Max, and Naomi.
Ed did everything his own way. He took advice from no one and knew exactly what he wanted or didn’t want, at all times. Frank Sinatra’s song “My Way” summarizes Ed’s life perfectly:
And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain
I’ve lived a life that’s full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way.
Family and friends will have a private memorial and celebration of Ed’s life on Zoom. Donations in Edward’s memory may be made to the Bookworm Gardens Charlotte Zieve Education Endowment Fund.
The Olson Funeral Home & Cremation Service has been entrusted with Ed's arrangements.
