Edward A. Lash, age 92, passed away of natural causes on April 22, 2023 at St James Health Care in Butte MT, surrounded by his loving children. His parents were Andrew and Elizabeth Lash, who immigrated to Montana from Austria.

Ed grew up in the McQueen neighborhood of Butte and was a 1949 graduate of Butte High School. He played American Legion Junior Baseball as a teenager, then advanced to the Copper League, playing there for a number of years.

Ed joined the Army in 1951 and served his country in Korea. During the war, Ed primarily worked on bridges and infrastructure projects. (He also peeled hundreds of pounds of spuds and built a bar adjacent to the barracks). Sergeant First Class Edward Lash received an Honorary Discharge from the military in 1953. He received a Korean Service Medal with 3 Bronze Service Stars, a United Nations Service Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, and a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.

Ed married Betty (Elizabeth) Hanley in November of 1954. They were married for 30 years, until her death in March of 1984. They had three children - Bobb, Marilyn and Lisa.

Ed became a member of The Carpenters and Joiners Union a week before his 17th birthday in 1947, and was proud to be a lifetime member. His employment career began with a carpenters apprenticeship at Cahill Mooney Construction Company. At Cahill Mooney, Ed quickly moved into foreman and superintendent positions. He continued to climb the employment ladder as an estimator and project manager while working for F&S Construction, CMC Construction and General Construction. Notable major projects that Ed was directly involved with include "ground up" construction of: the Safeway store on Massachusetts Ave.; the Anaconda hospital; the Safety Building and Arbiter Plant at the Anaconda Smelter; and Catholic Churches in Anaconda and Polson. Ed was also involved with upgrade projects related to: the Furnace Plant at Stauffer Chemical; the hospital at Warm Springs; bridge and culvert work on the Interstate Highway System. By far, Ed's favorite construction project was building the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Polson MT, as it involved his friend Father Jensen and his friend Father Plumber (who served as the project's architect).

In the mid-1980's, Ed began working for Golden Sunlight Mine in Whitehall MT, and in the late 1980's worked at their affiliated mine, Cortez Gold Mine in Elko, NV. While at Cortez, Ed ran the civil and concrete phases of construction at the Roaster Project, which involved supervising his own crew of Cortez employees and associated subcontractors. Ed very much enjoyed his work at Cortez, but not so much the daily 80 mile (one way!) commute to the mine. Ed officially retired from Golden Sunlight and Cortez in 1992.

Throughout his life Ed enjoyed spending time in the great outdoors, hunting and fishing, primarily in the area of his property in Wise River. After retirement he enjoyed traveling with his special lady, Peggy. They often visited kids and grandkids in Minnesota, South Dakota, California and Washington. They also had very fun and memorable trips to Alaska and Hawaii.

Ed was fondly known to Bobb, Marilyn, and Lisa as the Bionic Man. In 2003 - he had a left and right hip replacement (10 days apart), in 2004 - an ankle fusion, in 2009 - double knee replacements, and in 2017 - two additional right hip replacements! The many wonderful Physical Therapists who worked with Ed over the years will be pleased to know that he lived independently till the end and worked out at the gym in his building the day before his final hospital stay.

Ed was a collector of rosary beads, photographs, books, music CD's and all sorts of knives (always sharp!) He was a lifetime user of Old Spice Classic (after shave, not cologne), and loved Folgers Black Silk Coffee and Claeys Hard Candy.

Ed was a lifetime member of the Elks Club, and a proud member of the Minneapolis Chapter of the "Geek Squad". His Geek Squad expertise was honed over the past several years by reading hundreds of books on his electronic Nook reader, emailing and Amazon shopping on his iPad, and streaming the latest movies and series on his Roku TV.

Ed's two granddaughters brought much joy and pride to his life. Lovingly known as "Grampy", he was always there to celebrate the milestones of their lives - from baptisms through graduations. He was elated with the birth of his two great granddaughters. His iPad continually burst with photos and videos of Great Grandpa's "Chips Off The Old Block".

Most important in Ed's life was his devotion to God. He was a lifetime member of St. Ann's Church and served for many years as a Eucharistic Minister. It is very fitting that, in the last six years, in his retirement apartment, he had a fantastic view of Our Lady of The Rockies. His faith guided him throughout his entire life, and served as an inspiration to others.

Ed was proceeded in death by his parents Elizabeth and Andy Lash, wife Betty Lash, and special partner of many years Peggy Vucurovich. He was also proceeded in death by: two infant grandsons - Baby Boy Lash and Andy Birkelo; seven siblings - Elizabeth Pishkur (Martin), Joe Stayer (Kaye), Anne Stayer, Steve Stayer (Lee), Sophie Ketola, Bill Stayer (Anna), and Fran Spolar (Curly); and brother and sister in-laws - Dick Roys, Jim Hanley, Sharon Hanley, and Mick Hanley.

Survivors include: children - Bobb Lash, Marilyn Birkelo (Tom), and Lisa Finley (Bill); grandchildren - Dr. Bethany Birkelo (Dr. Andrew Wilkins), Katrina Birkelo (Alex Rasmussen); great granddaughters - Olivia Wilkins, and Sasha Wilkins; sister - Catherine Roys; brother and sister in-laws - Junie Barry (Joel), Sherry Hanley; and numerous cherished nieces and nephews.

Ed's children would like to thank the ER and 3rd floor staff at St. James hospital for the excellent care he received during his final hospital stay. They especially appreciate the compassionate involvement of Dr. Castlenova and Dr. Spooner.

A special thank you also goes to the staff and residents at Big Sky Senior Living, especially our friend Mary Sanchez. Dad enjoyed his six years living at Big Sky!

Friends are asked to join Ed's family at St. Ann's Catholic Church on Wednesday May 24 after 10:00 a.m. Liturgy of the Resurrection will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m., with interment of ashes immediately after, at Holy Cross Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Ann's Church, 2100 Farragut Ave., Butte, MT 59701.