KOLLMEYER, Ed

The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Tuesday, June 13, 2011 Ed Kollmeyer was born Nov. 27, 1922, in Diggins, Mo. He was the fifth of six children of Gus and Rosie Kollmeyer. Ed lived and worked on the family farm, and was baptized and confirmed at Zion's Lutheran Church. He graduated from Seymour High School in Seymour, Mo., in 1940. In addition to singing in the school chorus, Ed was quite a sportsman, playing basketball, baseball and even winning the Golden Gloves Boxing Championship for the state of Missouri. He served active duty in the U.S. Navy from August 1943 to January 1946, during which time he trained as a pilot. When the war ended, he moved to Long Beach, Calif., where he worked as a pipe-fitter for Dow Chemical. He married Bernice Siepker on April 26, 1947. They moved to Torrance, Calif., in 1954, where they raised three children. Ed continued his career with Shell Chemical, eventually becoming a foreman and retired in 1982, after 34 years of service. Ed never lost his love of farming and raising livestock, and in various ingenious and resourceful ways, managed to raise his own beef in the middle of Los Angeles County for many years. He was a member of the Torrance Mounted Posse during the 1970s. When they retired in 1982, Ed and Bernice bought an eight-acre farm in Chino Valley, Ariz., on the corner of Road 2 North and Highway 89. There he had plenty of room to grow alfalfa, raise his cattle and enjoy the many friends he and Beanie had made in Chino. Ever resourceful and full of practical know-how, Ed helped design the water flow from the reservoir lakes above Chino, and engineered the valve in the dam holding Watson Lake. He was an active member of Hope Lutheran Church. Bernice passed away in 1987. Ed stayed on the farm until 1999, until Safeway Corporation made him an offer for the property he couldn't refuse. At that point Ed was happy to move off the main road, and spent his last years in Chino Valley at 274 S. Road 1 East. He especially enjoyed holding court each day at the head of his table at the Chino Valley Senior Center. Ed returned to California in 2007 to spend his most recent years closer to his family. He passed away on June 10, 2011, in Los Alamitos, Calif. He is survived by his children, Steven Edward, Thomas William and Lorna Kathryn Kollmeyer; and his grandchildren, Benjamin Louis Kollmeyer, William Edward Kollmeyer and Connar Scott Kollmeyer. He is also survived by a brother Glen Kollmeyer and sister Leona in Springfield, Mo. Ed will always be remembered for his kindness, his honesty, his humor, and a profound generosity. A service for Ed will be at 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 16, 2011, at the Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1010 N. Road 1 East, Chino Valley. Interment at Chino Valley Cemetery will immediately follow the service. A reception will take place after the burial at the Fellowship Hall of Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church. Hampton Funeral Home was entrusted with the arrangements. Information provided by survivors.