On December 12th, 2021, Ed’s broken heart was mended when he joined his beautiful bride in Heaven, assuring her they would be together for Christmas. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, December 22, starting at 11am at St. Michael Catholic Church in Prior Lake. Visitation will be held one hour prior to services at St. Michael and on Tuesday, December 21, from 3-7pm at Ballard-Sunder Funeral and Cremation in Prior Lake.
Livestreaming will be available at St. Michael Catholic Church’s website https://stmichael-pl.org/ and by clicking on the “Mass and Services” tab.
Ed was born on July 6th, 1934, to parents Edward and Clare Muelken. He was born on the family farm where he spent his early years. Ed was the fifth of seven kids. The entire family moved to Prior Lake after Edward Sr. passed away. A two bedroom house shared between 7 and their mom became the new scene for Ed’s childhood. Ed’s uncles helped Clare with raising Ed and his siblings.
Born with a love and a deep appreciation of his country, Ed joined the military when he was only 17 years old. He joined the Army along with his older brother. Ed served in the Army during the Korean War.
Shortly after returning home from Korea, Ed swept a young woman off her feet at a Christmas party. Her name was Marna Griffith. The pair were married at St. Michael Catholic Church in Prior Lake on August 25, 1956. They then started their life in Prior Lake, where Ed and Marna raised their six children. Family was most important. They especially enjoyed the annual summer vacation to a resort or friend’s cabin up north in Minnesota. Ed was happiest supporting and being active in his children’s lives. He never missed any event or activity in school or college. After Masses on the weekends, Ed and Marna particularly enjoyed treating the kids with either dinner or breakfast. Life was enriched as Ed and Marna welcomed grandchildren and great grandchildren into their home. They were the pair’s pride and joy.
For work, Ed worked primarily in dairy equipment and sales. He worked at Continental Machine during the beginning of his career. When he would get done with his shift there, he would go home, grab a quick bite to eat, and then head to his second job as a bartender. Ed worked very hard to support his family. After his time at Continental, he started working at Surge Dairy Equipment before finishing his working career at the Prior Lake Nursery.
When Ed had some free time, he enjoyed spending it with his friends and family. Large fish frys and parties were always a good excuse for Ed to get together with his close friends. Another interest of Ed’s was traveling, which is interesting for someone who loved staying in Prior Lake so much. Ed and Marna loved their trips they took to Hawaii, Spain and Greece. They also enjoyed volunteering for the local VFW where Ed was a proud member of the Prior Lake Honor Guard.
Hardworking, patriotic, and loving, Ed will be missed greatly by his children, Doug (Chery), Maureen (Jace Mickley), Dan (Lisa), Dick (Emily Murray), Dave (Shelly) and Mona (Todd) Glass. Nine grandchildren, Jeni (Tyler) Peters, Jason (Abby Gadbois), Dani, Drew (Kayla Frandrup), McKenzie (Matthew Sprink), McKayla (Mario Filippi), Brooke (Joe Ihrke) Glass, Bailee Glass and Brody (Katie Kelley) Glass. Three precious great grandchildren, Noah, Ethan, and Clare Peters and sisters in law; Joan and Pat Muelken.
Ed is preceded in death by the love of his life, Marna; parents Edward and Clare; siblings, Don, Bill, Bob, Dorothy, Mary, Beth, and his infant brother Tommy.
Our hearts are broken to see him go but we are comforted knowing Marna was waiting for him with open arms. We love you dad/grandpa!
