| Graduation Year | Class of 1939 |
| Date of Birth | Jan 19, 2024 |
| Date of Passing | Nov 24, 2019 |
| About | On November 24, 2019, Edward Gerhard Fochtman died peacefully, his four children by his side. Ed was born November 21, 1921 in Petoskey, Michigan, the fourth of six children of Angus and Ella (Cross) Fochtman. Ed's father operated a farm and was the caretaker at a local brewery. In 1927, the family moved to a large home on Dixon Avenue in Charlevoix, Michigan. Ed graduated from Charlevoix High School in 1939 and entered Michigan State University in East Lansing, majoring in chemical engineering. He completed this course of study in the spring of 1943, when he enlisted in the Army Air Force and was called to active duty. In July of 1943, Ed married his high school sweetheart, Mary LaBlance. After basic training in the Army Air Force, Ed was assigned to work on the Manhattan Project, which developed nuclear technology for World War II. He was stationed in Buffalo, New York, where Ed and Mary's first child, Dianne, was born. After he was discharged from the service, Ed and his family returned to Charlevoix, where their second daughter, Mary Kathryn, was born. The family lived in Charlevoix for a few years before moving to the Chicago area, where Ed was employed at the Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute (IITRI) as a Chemical Engineer. The family first lived in Evanston, Illinois, where a son, Edward John (Paul), was born. They then settled in Elmhurst, a fast-growing suburb northwest of Chicago, where a third daughter, Marjorie, was born. In Elmhurst, Ed and Mary became active members of their Catholic church community. They were leaders in raising funds to build a church and a grade school for their new parish, Visitation. Mary was an early leader of the Visitation Council of Catholic Women, a group that supported the church and the grade school's activities. Ed was active in the Knights of Columbus. Later in life, Ed and Mary were honored to be named Lifetime Members of Visitation Parish. After two of their children had left home to attend college, Ed and Mary became foster parents for the Catholic Charities adoption program. They fostered infants who had health problems or some other hindrance to immediate adoption, for short periods or for as long as 18 months. The task also necessitated traveling to various locations in Illinois to deliver the babies to their adoptive parents. Ed and Mary provided tender, loving care for more than 40 infants during a ten-year period. It was a family project that involved not just Ed and Mary but their children Paul and Marjorie as well. Ed spent many years working at IITRI on technical chemical problems for government and industry. One of IITRI's clients was Waste Management, Inc. Intrigued by the possibilities at Waste Management, Ed joined their staff and worked internationally in the field of chemical waste management until his retirement in 1980. After his retirement, Ed continued to work as a waste management consultant for several years. After 49 years in Elmhurst, with the children all grown and gone, Mary and Ed decided to stop shoveling snow. They moved to Largo, Florida, to what was for them the perfect place to live, Fairway Village. Here they were close to siblings, and made many new friends. They enjoyed playing golf together and played in both the women's and men's leagues. They also had the leisure time to become world travelers, visiting Malaysia, France, England, Greece, Ireland, Hawaii, and many other locations. They lived happily in Fairway Village for seventeen years, before moving to Regal Palms, an assisted living facility in Largo. They lived there until Mary's death in 2018. At that time, Ed moved to Sacramento, California to be near his daughter, Mary Kathryn. He lived at The Village at Heritage Park at the time of his death. His children remember their Dad as a consummate scientist. He installed a homemade air quality monitor in the backyard. He periodically tested water samples from the creek across the road from their house. He worked long hours but always had time to help with homework (and science projects in particular). When the children were young, Ed and Mary took the family on long road trips to memorable places like the Grand Canyon, Pike's Peak, Washington, D.C., and many others, opening their eyes and minds to new vistas and horizons. Ed always encouraged his children in their endeavors and taught them to believe they could accomplish whatever they set out to do. Ed is survived by his four children: Dianne Fochtman Seleny, Mary Kathryn (Nebgen) DuBose and husband Jonathan, Edward John (Paul) Fochtman and wife Sasha, and Marjorie Fochtman; grandchildren Heather Rubinstein (Ian), Elizabeth Heinrich (J.D.), Matthew Fochtman (Kasey), and Spencer Fochtman; and great-grandchildren George, Toby and Louie Rubinstein, and Jaxsen Heinrich. No immediate service will be held. Ed will be interred with his wife Mary at St. Mary's Cemetery, at a service to be scheduled next summer. The funeral details will be announced in this newspaper. |
