Edward Carrier

Ed was born on February 9, 1933, in Cincinnati to Oscar and Mildred Carrier. He was the older brother to Jerry and sister, Carol. Ed was always a hard worker from childhood to adulthood. When he was a kid, he took on small jobs like cleaning out stables to earn extra money. When he was 12, he even worked for a circus one time at Carthage Fair Grounds, cleaning out elephant stalls. In his late teens and after high school Ed worked at a service station driving a tow truck and doing mechanical work. With his aptitude for mechanics Ed joined the Navy and was a Machinist Mate from 1953- 1955. After the Navy, Ed was hired for a maintenance job at P&G and at the same time went to a night school to become certified as a machinist. After his certification, he was promoted to a machinist position at P&G and did that until he retired in 1991.

Ed met the love of his life, Shirley Gilbert, through mutual friends and they were married on June 26, 1954. They moved to Bethel, Ohio, and had their first child, Donna, on March 25, 1957, and their second daughter, Kim, on March 19, 1964. After 52 years of marriage, Shirley died in 2006 after a long illness.

Ed and Shirley loved nature, and many family vacations were spent camping. Ed also had varied interest in history and science (his favorite TV station was PBS), so many family vacations centered around historical sites and museums. Ed also loved music, especially Big Band, 50’s Rock & Roll, and Bluegrass. When Ed and Shirley’s daughter Donna became engaged, Shirley talked Ed into taking dancing lessons for the wedding reception. Ed had never danced much before then but went along with it. Surprisingly, he enjoyed learning to dance so much, he and Shirley joined a dance club, and went dancing frequently with a group of couples for many years.

Ed’s favorite pastime was fishing. He would fish at every opportunity possible. For years, Ed, his father, his brother, and brother-in-law would go on an annual fishing trip to Lake Monroe, Indiana, for a week. His daughter Donna and son-in-law Phil continued this tradition with Ed for over 25 years, taking him on fishing trips to Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Kentucky. Ed would get excited every time he caught a fish- whether it was big or small.

Ed always had a generous heart. If a neighbor or relative needed something repaired or any other assistance, Ed would drop everything and go to help them. He also was charitable and assisted loved ones in crisis situations and charities in need financially.

In Ed’s final year he was living at the Glen nursing home where he developed many close relationships with the staff, and in particular his 103-year-old buddy, Charles. Ed and Charles bonded immediately and enjoyed swapping stories about the good old days, which the staff and other patients found entertaining. Ed died there peacefully on February 10^th.

Donna, Kim, and Phil have been touched by the outpouring of love from his caregivers, relatives, and other acquaintances. It warms their hearts to hear how Ed was so beloved and treasured.

Donations in Ed’s honor can be made to Adopt A Pit Rescue, an organization that was dear to Ed.

A visitation for Ed will be held on Saturday February 17, 2024, beginning at 9:00 AM at Arlington Memorial Garden’s Funeral Home at 2155 Compton Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45231 (Follow BLUE line on cemetery grounds to get to funeral home). A funeral service will follow at 10:30 AM. Burial will take place at Arlington Memorial Gardens Cemetery at 11:00 AM.