Mr. Edward J. Sluetz passed away on April 2, 2016, at the age of 96, leaving a large legacy of family including several grandchildren and great-grandchildren that he loved dearly and whom adored him beyond words. Ed was born April 14, 1919, in Princeton, Illinois to Edward and Florence (Mercer) Sluetz. He was often known by school friends and family as “saucer eyes and toothpick legs”. Ed had an older brother, Kenneth and a sister, Maxine. Living through the Great Depression; surviving WWII as a heroic Naval Aviator and Flight Instructor; while finishing his college degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Bradley University and the University of Illinois, he worked for Caterpillar Tractor Company; all were some of his many accomplishments. He fell in love and married Prinda Harlan from Dunlap, Illinois whom he met while working at Caterpillar. Prinda was the executive secretary and she remembers his romantic gestures including a beautiful box of Valentine’s candy and a date flying in his airplane! Ed has held her hand with devotion and love for almost sixty-six years. Together they had three children, Jim Sluetz currently residing in Boston (N Attleboro), Massachusetts; Craig Sluetz from Plano, Texas; and Debby Sluetz Blackmon from Frisco, Texas.
Ed was an executive at Caterpillar Tractor Company and took his family to live and work in Sao Paulo, Brazil for ten years and then to Monterrey, Mexico for two years. Afterwards, his family moved back to the United States to Peoria, Illinois to head a subsidiary company of Caterpillar, Inertia Welding. After retiring, Ed and Prinda moved to Marco Island, Florida and then to Sarasota, Florida. He enjoyed cooking, golf, and tennis for many years. During this time, his children and grandchildren enjoyed visiting him often. All of the grandchildren have such special memories and stories to share of Grampy Ed squeezing fresh orange juice, playing and laughing with them, and helping him make his specialty…chocolate malts! As a father, Ed taught his children right from wrong, how to work hard, honesty, pride in a family, how to laugh, how to shake a package under a Christmas tree, and most of all how to give to others. He unselfishly and willingly provided for both his wife and children and always did so, not because of a duty, but because he loved so deeply. Ed was always a handsome man dressed to the nines, but a complex-minded thinker, pondering science and the magic of the universe. He was filled with dignity, principle, and loads of wisdom about life and its purpose. Most of all, his loyalty to his family was unmatched and was always his deepest passion along with his greatest accomplishment. Ed Sluetz lived an extraordinary and long life filled with adventure, love, and laughter. His smile, his loud and boisterous laugh, and his presence will surely be missed. We love you Dad…always. His daughter whispered to him in his ear, “You did it Dad…your legacy will never be forgotten!”
Ed is survived by his beloved wife, three children, nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren with a sixth on the way.
A memorial service will be held at 4:00 p.m., Saturday, April 9, 2016, at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Chapel in Allen, Texas.
Memorial donations may be made to www.donate.cancer.org/index, 1-800-227-2345, American Cancer Society, P. O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK, 73123.