Edward S. Irish

Edward Steven Irish, 51, died suddenly Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010, in Big Lake. Ed was born in Stafford Springs, Conn., to George G. Irish Jr., and Inaclare White Irish on Dec. 7, 1958.

He attended schools in Connecticut and Ashland, Maine, and served in the National Guard in Maine after high school. He lived for many years in Rockville and Enfield, Conn., and worked for Rex Lumber in South Windsor, Conn., for 17 years before moving to Alaska to be near his mom and dad, James and Ina Emery.

He was employed in Wasilla at the Meta Rose Square as a maintenance person for eight years, at various area restaurants as a cook, and for the Anchorage Daily News delivering papers in the Mat-Su Valley.

Ed was an excellent cook and baker and loved the simple pleasures of the great outdoors, fishing woodworking and the Red Sox. He also enjoyed his extensive pig figurine collection and was a great daddy to his three cats.

Ed is survived by his five children, Edward Irish, Jr., of Fairbanks; Steven Crowley and Tabatha Bulgajewski of Enfield, Conn.; Rebecca Crowley of Palm Coast, Fla. and Brandy Eastman of Fort Fairfield, Maine; and 13 grandchildren.

Ed also leaves behind his brothers, George Irish III of Sandy Springs, Ga., Richard Hagberg of Columbia, S.C., Kendall Robinson of Masardis, Maine, and Andrew Irish of Connecticut; sisters, Linda Baldwin of Middlefield, Conn., and Stephanie Brown of Connecticut; a beloved sister-in-law, Lynn Egbert of Aiken, S.C.; several nieces and nephews in Alaska, Maine and South Carolina; and his three cats.

He is also survived by his father, George Irish, Jr., of Somers, Conn., and his mom and dad, James and Ina Emery of Canaan, N.H.

At the time of his passing, Ed was fulfilling his lifelong dream of building his own cabin on his lot in Big Lake.

Services will be held in the spring at the convenience of his family.