Edmund F. “Ed” Bezak

Edmund F. “Ed” Bezak died Thursday at the age of 100. Born to the late Charles and Sophie Potempa Bezak in the Austin Heights neighborhood of Old Forge, he served with the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, where he was stationed in France. Following the war, Ed spent his career working in both Los Angeles and Houston as an accountant at the American Independent Oil Company (Aminoil), which became a subsidiary of R. J. Reynolds in 1970. Ed retired to California in 1984. For the last six years of his life, he resided at Elan Gardens in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, a stay that he enjoyed immensely.

In mind and body, Ed lived the life of someone half his age. He ran outside every day well into his 70s and rode his bicycle daily until a minor injury in his mid 90s. The word most commonly used to describe Ed was “amazing,” and the only complaint he filed during his stay at Elan Gardens was that the dumbbells were too light for him. The carpeted hallways there bear the treads of his perpetual laps.

His enthusiasm and curiosity led to deep inquisitions which were frequently able to stump subject matter experts. His perspective on this world and the changes he witnessed during his one hundred years spent living in it was truly profound.

A child of the Great Depression, Ed asked for nothing. Yet, he gave so much to those he loved. As a man, he was a model of kindness and humility. As a friend, brother, and uncle, his compassion and generosity were boundless. Every moment spent with Ed was a joyous one, and his few difficult days were still “pretty good.” Ed Bezak personified his generation and will be missed dearly.

He is survived by his sister Teddie Scioscia, his niece Susan O'Hearn and husband Timothy G. O'Hearn, all of Scranton, and their son Timothy J. O'Hearn, New York City, great nephew Ernesto “Jimmy” Tapia Moore, great nieces Daphne Williams, Meggan Connell, BranDee Gentile, and MaloRee Huot, great-great niece Alicia Scully, great-great nephew Andy Williams, and many more relatives of later generations.

Ed was preceded in death by two sisters, Flossie Bell and Jo Moore, and two brothers, Michael and Charles Jr

A memorial service will be held in the spring at Saint Stanislaus Cemetery in Austin Heights.

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