J. Edward Adams
February 9, 1953 ~ October 3, 2012
J. Edward Adams, 79, of Elk Street, Franklin, died at 5:59 a.m. on Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at UPMC Hamot in Erie. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Born February 9, 1933 in Erie, he was the son of the late Roy A. and Ida Quinlisk Adams. Mr. Adams is survived by his son, Timothy Roy Adams of Franklin; his loving pet, Punkin, the worst dog he ever loved; three sisters, Corinne Farina of Erie, Peggy Fitzgerald of Erie, and Sue Wiest of Florida; and his brother, Donald Adams of Erie. Also surviving are his good friends, Don Malm, Tim Chaney, Chip Boughner, and Steve Shaner. He was preceded in death by a son, Michael Edward Adams; his mother and father, Roy and Ida Quinlisk Adams; a sister, Helen Snook Nordin; two brothers, Kenneth and John Adams; and his loving dogs, Sunshine, Buda, and Moonshine. Ed attended Erie Academy High School where he was a member of the National Honor Society, and Purdue University (Civil Engineering) where he was member of their wrestling teams. He was commissioned and served in the Navy at the Naval Ammunition Depot at Concord, California, following graduation from Purdue in 1956. He was hired by Venango County as its first Planning Director in 1963 and assumed the position of County Engineer in 1979. He established Adams and Associates (community development consulting firm) in 1985. Mr. Adams was a wrestling coach at the old Franklin YMCA and while on active naval duty. He authored a book, Truthiness of a Manic Depressive, in 2007. Ed was a member of Christ United Methodist Church where he served in the past on the Administrative Council and the Building Committee for the new church. He had a great love for dogs and was known by several different aliases, which included, Birthday Canary, Santa Claus, the Great Pumpkin, and Big Bird. Friends will be received at the Gardinier Funeral Home, Inc., 1315 Chestnut Street, Franklin on Sunday, October 7, 2012 from 3-7 p.m. Funeral services will be held at the Christ United Methodist Church, 1135 Buffalo Street, Franklin on Monday, October 8, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. with the Rev. Samuel Wagner, Associate Pastor, officiating. Military honors will be accorded by the V.E.T.S. Honor Guard. Interment will take place in Franklin Cemetery. The family suggests memorials be made to the Venango County Humane Society, P.O. Box 1045, Oil City, PA 16301. Family and friends are invited to visit www.gardinierfuneralhome.com to send online condolences, flowers, cards, or for further information.
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My thoughts and prayers are with you. Ed was a dear friend to me at the Franklin Animal Clinic. He would always tell me I was his favorite girl. We would joke around and I would always ask him if he was behaving and leaving the cops alone, he would always chuckle. He will be deeply missed and I will always cherish the autographed book that he gave to me.
Ed Adams was a unique individual in so many ways, and his contributions (sometimes as a contrarian thinker) have left an imprint on Franklin and Venango County via his service to the community as a professional planner/engineer and as a volunteer adviser. I knew and worked with Ed in several capacities over the years, learning much about the workings of local government and later, having the benefit of his mentoring while launching my own communications consulting work. His was a complex personality, and I admired Ed’s courage in standing up for ideals that were not always popular. I also knew of Ed’s work as “Santa Claus,” and that he could throw a good party, packing his house with laughter and the conversation of an interesting and varied crowd.