Edward F. Roser, 89, of West Shokan
Edward F. Roser, 89, of Watson Hollow, passed away April 13, 2018, at Tenbroeck Commons Rehabilitation Center.
He was born Nov. 28, 1928, in Flushing, the eldest son of the late Edward F. and Katherine Lutz Roser.
Ed spent his early years living and playing in the field of Flushing Meadows, Long Island. Towards the end of World War II, in November 1945, not yet 18, he enlisted in the military service and was assigned to the Core Engineers 4th Regiment Seabees. This molded him into the man he became; there wasn’t a thing he couldn’t fix and he was always there for his friends and family. If it was broken, Ed could fix it, or build it. His motto was, “Seabees can do,” and he did! He was a life member of Seabees Veterans of America Island X-9 of Kingston, and the MCB10 103rd Unit. In 1954, he met Ellen Henriksen, and on Oct. 3, 1955, they were married. Ed worked as a plumber steamfitter for Local 21. In 1962, he worked on building the New York World’s Fair. In 1964, Ed, Ellen, and their children moved from a Astoria, Queens, up to the Catskill Mountains to Ellen’s family home in West Shokan, N.Y. Ed fit right in with the life up in West Shokan. He joined the Olive Fire Department and was a life member of more than 50 years. He belonged to Saint Augustine/ St. John’s Roman Catholic Church. He continue to work for Local 21, Plumbers and Steamfitters Union. On weekends and evenings, he became the town plumber and handyman and was always busy. Ed was also an active member and chaplain of the Joyce-Shirick Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1386, and a life member of Shokan American Legion Post 1650. Through his life, he had many friends and acquaintances.
He is survived by his love of 22 years, Patricia Conway of West Shokan; a sister, June Guzzardo and her husband Tony of New Port Richey, Fla.; a daughter, Ann Marie Roser of Saugerties; daughter-in-law, Burnelle Roser of West Shokan; three grandchildren, Jessica and Giovanni Camerati and Adriana Roser; great-grandson, Sean Secor; and many nieces and nephews. He will be greatly missed. Edward was predeceased by his wife of 40 years, Ellen H. Roser, and his son, Christopher, in 2017.
His funeral procession will form on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at E.B. Gormley Funeral Home, 87 Main St., Phoenicia, thence to St. Francis de Sales Church, where at 10 a.m., a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated. Burial with military honors will be in the family plot at St. Francis de Sales Cemetery, Route 28, Allaben. Friends will be received on Wednesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at E.B. Gormley Funeral Home. The family suggests memorial contributions may be made to Olive First Aid. You may share a special memory with the family on Ed’s Memorial Page at www.gormleyfuneralhome.com.