- Date Of Birth: November 29, 1913
- Date Of Death: March 14, 2013
- State: Indiana
Edward R. “Ed” Hahn, 99, of Elkhart, passed away peacefully Thursday, March 14, 2013, at his home.
Ed was born Nov. 29, 1913, in Elkhart to Clarence R. and Mary (Dow) Hahn. The family moved to Oregon when he was 6 weeks old and lived there until moving back to Elkhart in 1921. Ed graduated from Jimtown High School in 1933. He joined the CCC that fall and was assigned to southern Indiana to the work groups at Clifty Falls State Park.
After returning to this area, he worked for New York Central Railroad in the T-rail shop until he joined the U.S. Post Office in 1937. Ed first delivered parcel post and then was a letter carrier until 1970, taking 27 months during World War II to serve with the U.S Navy Seabees in the South Pacific. After retiring from the post office, he was a mechanical inspector for the Elkhart County Building Department.
He met M. Marie Gehrand in 1936 while they were attending Sunday school class at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. They married May 12, 1940, in Muncie and celebrated 65 years of marriage before her death on May 16, 2005.
Ed is survived by daughter Patricia Thompson, and her husband, Roger, of Elkhart; three grandchildren, Tom, Jeff and Steve Angel; seven great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
His sisters, Irene DuFour, and Virginia Johnson preceded him in death.
Ed was an active member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, where he started the Friday Crew, a group of volunteers who care for the church property. He also was on the trustees and administrative board in the past and still attended meetings in an advisory capacity. Ed was one of the original organizers of the Elkhart County Conservation Club and was past president and a life member. He was also past president and life member of the Elkhart Chapter of the National Association of Letter Carriers, a 50-year member of Kane Masonic Lodge 183, past president of the Elkhart Shrine Club, past exalted ruler and life member of Elks Lodge 425, and past president of the Elkhart County Chapter of National Association of Retired Federal Employees. Ed also served 12 years on the Elkhart County 4-H Fair Board, three years with the County Historical Society, and was elected to the Concord Township Advisory Board for 28 years.
At Elks Lodge 425, he started a program for Eagle Scouts, where the lodge recognizes their achievement by awarding them a framed American flag. He attended approximately 125 of those Courts of Honor. Several other B.P.O.E. lodges have now adopted this tradition. Also at the Elks Lodge, Ed and George Stutzman established a college scholarship fund in 1982, when they each contributed $2 to open an account. The fund currently assists 17 students with college expenses.
Just last year, Ed was honored at the grand reopening of Lerner Theater as one of only two people still in Elkhart who attended the first grand opening of the Lerner. Ed loved to tell stories and share memories, and many of his memories and stories were recently chronicled on DVD by Stories Retold.
