MIFFLINTOWN, Edward P. Bolger, 79, of Mifflintown, died peacefully at home on July 16, 2014, surrounded by his family.
Born in Lewistown on October 4, 1934, he was the son of the late Paul E. and Dorothy (Wilson) Bolger. He was preceded in death by his sister, Mary Ellen Weimer.
He celebrated life with his wife of 57 years, Minerva M. Lawrence, their six children, Beth Ellen Ohberg and husband, William, of Fort Myers, Florida; Shellie Morris and husband, Donald, of Winchester, Virginia; Todd Bolger and wife, Deanne, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida; Kristen Scott and husband, Ricardo, of Atlanta, Georgia; Edward (Chip) Bolger and wife, Sara, of Lebanon, Ohio; and Andrew Bolger and wife, Deanna, of Orlando, Florida, and fifteen grandchildren.
Ed was a graduate of Lewistown High School, and attended both Mount Saint Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Maryland and Lycoming College in Williamsport. A Korean War veteran, Ed served in the United States Army from 1955-1957. He began his career in retail at McMeen’s Department Store, Dank’s & Co. and the BonTon Department Store. He later became an independent representative for Don Conkey & Sons of Pittsburgh.
In his youth, Ed was involved for many years with the Lewistown YMCA and Boy Scouts of America, where he earned the Order of the Arrow and was the first scout at Sacred Heart Church in Lewistown to receive the honorary Ad Altare Dei Award.
He was a member of St. Jude’s Catholic Church in Mifflintown where he served as president of the church council and was an active member of the Knights of Columbus for over 55 years. Ed was a former PIAA basketball official and a past member of the Lewistown Kiwanis Club, the Juniata Jaycees, the Pennsylvania Jewelers Association, Juniata Jitters Investment Club, Juniata Striders Running Club, and the Lewistown High School Class of 1952 Reunion Committee.
Ed was an avid runner of thirty years and completed numerous races and eleven marathons in Pennsylvania, Florida, New York, and Washington, DC. Ed and Minerva wintered in Naples, Florida for twenty-five years and traveled extensively throughout the United States, North America, Central & South America, Africa, and the Caribbean.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Monday, July 21, 2014 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Jude’s Catholic Church, Mifflintown with the Reverend Jayaseelan Amalanathan officiating. Interment will follow at the Westminster Presbyterian Cemetery where full military burial honors will be accorded by the Juniata County Veterans Council.
There will be no viewing; however, the family will receive family and friends from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 20, 2014 at Brown’s Funeral Home, 100 Bridge St., Mifflintown, PA 17059.
For those who desire, memorial contributions in Ed’s memory may be made to Wounded Warrior Project; https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/default.aspx?tsid=675&campaignSource=CDRO&source=BS13044 or P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675 or That Others May Live Foundation; http://www.thatothersmaylive.org/makeadifference/donate.htm or 6220 S. McLeod Dr., Suite 120, Las Vegas, NV 89120.
For online tributes and condolences, please visit www.brownfuneralhomesinc.com.