Edward Kiedaisch

1946-2023

 

     Edward Kiedaisch, age 76, passed away at home on Tuesday May 2, 2023.

     Ed was born May 4, 1946 in Keokuk, IA to George Jenkins (Jenks) and Marte Landis Kiedaisch. He married Deverie Peterson on November 30, 1968. Together, they had two children, Erin Kiedaisch Turley and Thaddeus Kiedaisch.

     Ed graduated from Keokuk High School in 1964 and received a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana with honors in 1968. He began his career as an engineer at Exxon in Corpus Christi, TX. In 1969 he returned to Keokuk to work at the Hubinger Company, followed by a few years at Foote Mineral. The majority of his career was spent designing fenders for large marine ports at Metso/Trellex Morse/Morse Rubber Company and Hi-Tech Marine Solutions, a company he co-founded. Ed was viewed as a leading expert on marine fender design. He was awarded two patents from the US Patent Office and taught courses in fender design across the world.

     Ed loved Keokuk and had a strong desire to make the community a better place. That was evident in his leadership across many community organizations. He was active in Keokuk Rotary (past president and past secretary), Keokuk Community School Foundation board member, Lee County Historical Society (past president), Keokuk Cultural and Entertainment District (founding member), Keokuk- Hamilton Dam Museum (board member and museum docent), Main Street Keokuk Inc. (founding board member and past president), Keokuk Area Community Foundation (board member) and Keokuk Association for Rights and Equality.

     Scouting, education and world travel were also passions. He loved sharing his wealth of knowledge. Ed was a proud Eagle Scout, Scout Master and served on the District Committee, receiving the Eagle Valley District Award of Merit. In partnership with his wife he sponsored the Junior Engineering and Technical Society at Keokuk High School and for many years judged at the University of Illinois Engineering Open House. He also enjoyed his time volunteering with the Keokuk Schools Literacy Project. Despite loving life in Keokuk, Ed drew great enjoyment from seeing the world, especially France, which held a special place in his heart as his grandmother’s birthplace. Two of his favorite travels were his bicycle trip across Europe when he graduated high school with his two best friends and boat trips in the canals of France with his family, parents, siblings and their families.

     He is survived by his wife of over 50 years, Dev; daughter and son-in-law, Erin and Stephen Turley of Parkville, MO; son and daughter-in-law, Thad and Norka Rojas Kiedaisch of Fort Collins, CO; grandchildren Ella and Benjamin Turley and Kora and Analemma Kiedaisch; sisters, Louisa (Robert) Matthias of Boulder, CO and Mimi (Larry) Elmore of Lyons, CO; sister-in-law and her husband, Kris and Alex Dadant of Columbia, MO; brother-in-law, Pete Peterson of Johnston, IA; and several nieces and nephews. Spending time with his family brought him great joy. His parents preceded him in death.

     Ed will be remembered for his incredible memory, breadth of knowledge, great sense of humor, desire to make Keokuk the best it can be, passion for engineering, and most of all his dedication to his family. Some of his great loves were world travel, chocolate, movies, NPR, cars, puzzles, ice cream and long drives by the Mississippi.

     A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, May 7, 2023 at the Keokuk Yacht Club from 4-6 PM, which can be viewed live from 4:30-5PM on Ed’s tribute wall on www.vigenmemorialhome.com

      In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Keokuk Community School Foundation for the Ed Kiedaisch Memorial Engineering Scholarship.

     The Vigen Memorial Home in Keokuk, IA is assisting the family with arrangements.

     Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.vigenmemorialhome.com