Edmund Stanley Bandur

Edmund Stanley Bandur

September 30, 1923 – February 25, 2021

Age 97.  He knew he wanted to fight for his country when he watched the Pearl Harbor attack in World War II.  At 19, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and on Jan. 13, 1943 began his service. During the next three years, his tours of duty included time on the destroyer, the USS Farragut, Puget Sound Naval hospital, and base and fleet hospitals in San Francisco. The Navy assigned him to work as a medic, and when asked later in life, why he didn’t become a doctor, he quipped, the job involved “too much blood.”  Attached to the Marines, Edmund fought in the Pacific American Theater and received the American Theater, Asiatic Pacific, Victory Ribbon and Good Conduct medals. Over time, the loud explosions of war took a toll on his hearing. He had no trouble communicating however, with his strong voice, animated family members and a white board for reading messages. He never complained about his sacrifice for his country.

He grew up on a farm in Loup City, NE with his four brothers and one sister during the Great Depression. He shared the story of when his father once found money while plowing the field. A welcome blessing for the family during that time. Blizzard conditions also kept Edmund and his siblings stranded at school many times, spending the night in the building, since they walked everywhere, of course.

Before Edmund enlisted, he worked as an adding machine operator at Burroughs Corporation in Omaha. After the war, he met his wife, Adelaide J. Stanczyk of Ashton, NE and they married June 26, 1947. The adventurous couple, who loved dancing, drove to Mexico City for their honeymoon. They settled down in Omaha and had five children. Edmund was self-employed, selling insurance and helping families through some of their worst times. His love of baseball put him on the field as a Little League coach for his boys and others in the neighborhood. If you were a passenger in Ed’s car, you would listen to live baseball games or the Big Joe Polka Show, depending on the time of day and season. He was a big fan of Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne and Husker football. He still watched after Osborne retired, even though he felt the program had lost its luster.

Edmund lived his life with a strong Catholic Faith and was a lifelong member of Christ the King Church, where he volunteered as an usher. You could find Edmund always out and about having a cup of coffee at a donut shop or eating lunch at Sons of Italy and some of his other favorite places. He was preceded in death by his wife of 69 years, Adelaide “Addie”; parents, Thomas and Bernice; brothers, Clemence, Edwin, Richard. Survived by sister, Rose and brother-in-law, Warrent Butler of Scotch Plains, NJ; brother, Arnold “Arnie” and sister-in-law, Donna of Aurora, CO; children:  Roderic of Omaha, Scott and daughter-in-law, Diane, of Arnold, MO., Kurt, Doug, and Michelle; grandchildren: Jeremy, Ashley (John), Eric (Amanda) of Arnold, MO, and Jamie Mandolfo of Omaha; great-grandchildren, London and Brielle of Arnold, MO.

WAKE SERVICE: Monday, March 1st, 7pm at West Center Chapel, with family receiving friends from 5-7pm . FUNERAL: Tuesday, March 2nd, 11am West Center Chapel. Interment: Resurrection Cemetery with Military Honors by American Legion Post #1. The family asks for donations to Disabled American Veterans (DAV). To view a live broadcast of the Wake Service, Funeral and Graveside Service, please visit www.heafeyheafey.com and press the “View Live Cast” button on the home page.