Edward W. Heid, Jr., 78, of Columbus and Peoria, Arizona and formerly of Dayton, Ohio, departed this life unexpectedly on Monday, September 1, 2014. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward Sr. and Edith (Jankowski) Heid.

He leaves behind his beloved wife of 21 years, Judy, and his children, Jackie (Steve) Nagy, Marilyn (Dan) Mecklenburg, and Steve Heid. Ed is also survived by his step-children, Todd (Mary) Albert, Lisa (Rob) Morgan, Mary Albert, and Christine (Adin) Sadic; his sisters, Carole McCabe, JoAnne (Dave) Arnold; brothers, Tom (Barbara) Heid, and Richard (Carol) Heid; grandchildren, Hannah, Gunnar, Erinne, Travis, Olivia, Zach, Brynn, Robbie, and Maya.

Ed attended Our Lady of the Rosary Elementary, Kiser High School and graduated from Northridge High School in 1954. He also attended the University of Dayton. Ed joined the US Air Force in 1954 and served his country for four years. He was employed at DESC for 31 years and retired in 1992. Ed enjoyed the outdoors and shared this gift with his children. He was an avid swimmer and coached and volunteered his services to the Dayton Dolphins while his children were members of the team. He competed in the Senior Olympics in swimming events in Arizona and ran in the Columbus Marathon.

A Celebration of Life will be held from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 6, 2014 at Fisher-Cheney Funeral Home, 1124 W. Main St. (Rt. 41), Troy, Ohio. Friends and family will share memories at 3:00 p.m. and a Military Service will be performed by the Veterans Memorial Honor Guard of Troy immediately following. Contributions may be given in Ed's memory to the Charity of your choice or your local Humane Society.