Edgar M. “Ed” Neilsen of Hermiston died on Dec. 14, 2017 in Hermiston at the age of 88.
He was born on Sept. 3, 1929 in Council Bluffs, Iowa to Victor George and Rachel Lorraine Carper Neilsen.
Ed was raised in Council Bluffs, graduating from Lincoln High School in the class of 1948 before joining the United States Army. He served from 1948 until his honorable discharge in 1952. He lived in Alaska before moving to Baker in 1957, where he lived until 1963. He went to work for ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation) as the Eastern Oregon Highway Engineer. Ed married Erma Reed in Reno, Nev. on July 29, 1977 and they settled in Hermiston in 1979, where they have lived since. He retired from ODOT in 1992 and began working with Anderson Perry & Associates as a project engineer in 1994, and it continued until 2016 when he was 86 years old.
Ed was an active member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hermiston, serving as an elder for many years. He officiated Babe Ruth and high school basketball, baseball, softball and football from 1957 until 2012. He enjoyed hunting and model railroads, and was an extremely talented woodworker.
He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Erma Neilsen, Hermiston; daughters, Becky Miltenberger (Don), Umatilla and Ramona Culp (Kenny), Hermiston; son, Bruce Blakeley, England; brother, Victor William Neilsen, Huxley, Iowa; sisters, Barbara Frey, Sioux City, Iowa and Jane Jenkins, Waldorf, Md.; grandchildren, Ashelee, Jeremiah, Shane, Grant, Heidi, Jacob, Zach, Josh and Josh, Zane, Jimmy and Ryan; five great grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Ed was preceded in death by his parents; sons, Bill Neilsen Shaw and Ted Blakeley; and sister, Betty Streepy.
A funeral service will be held on Monday, Dec. 18, 2017 at 10 a.m. at Burns Mortuary Chapel, Hermiston. Burial with military honors will follow at the Hermiston Cemetery.
Those who wish may make contributions in Ed’s memory to the Bethlehem Lutheran Church Memorial Fund, 515 S.W. Seventh St., Hermiston, Ore., 97838.
Please sign the online condolence book at burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
Burns Mortuary of Hermiston is in care of arrangements.
