Edward Slagle

Edward, of Mason, formerly of Montgomery, Ohio, Brooksville, Florida, and Cleveland, Ohio, passed peacefully on September 6 from natural causes at the age of 92. He was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Lois Shannon, and survived by his children Laura, Tom and Jim, daughter-in-law JoAnn, grandchildren Leah and Paul, and great grandchildren McKinzie and Landon, all of whom visited his bedside during his final challenge. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Slovenian-American parents, Ed served on the USS Franklin aircraft carrier during WWII. He married his Collinwood High School sweetheart Lois while on shore leave. After the war, Ed toured with the Ray Anthony Orchestra and other big bands before settling down to raise a family in South Euclid, Ohio. He earned a mechanical engineering degree at Case Tech and worked for many years at Picker X-Ray and Liebel-Flarsheim. His career as a musician (saxophone and clarinet) brought joy to thousands, and most especially Eddie. In the 1950s he played weekly on the “Polka Varieties” live television program in Cleveland. He was inducted into the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame in 2006. Moving to Southwestern Ohio in the early 1970s, he played with a variety of bands, including Maple Knoll and Jack Carr bands. Ed loved golf and boating, his family and his music. In “retirement”, Lois and Ed founded SS Specialties, a drafting-instruments company that they could manage from both Ohio and Florida, where they had a second home. Ed was a lifetime member of the musician’s union.