Edward Norman “Bud” Pildner, Jr.
Edward Norman Pildner, 98, of Erie, Pa, passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 5, 2023 at UPMC Hamot.
Ed (also known as Bud) was born on November 17, 1924, to the late Edward F. Pildner and Kathryn (Bretz) Pildner.
He married his wife of 59 years, Marylou Fenner, on March 4, 1950. She preceded him in death in 2009.
In the 1970’s, he learned about his heavenly Father, Jehovah, through Francisco and Ruth Lobao while working in Erie and he studied the Bible with them. He loved the truths that he learned and dedicated his life to doing God’s will and was later baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses on July 30 th 1971, along with his wife, Marylou and daughter, Kathryn.
Ed had the mind of an engineer and was always working with his hands. A problem solver by nature, he always found ingenious ways to tackle an issue. Whether it was moving a grand piano, or clearing rainwater from a Kingdom Hall construction site, you could count on him to find a clever way to handle the problem. He also enjoyed spending time with Marylou either dancing or strumming on his guitar after dinner. More than anything, though, Ed loved telling others about the Good News of God’s Kingdom. After he retired, Ed joined his wife in the full-time ministry as a regular pioneer of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which he continued until his death. Ed would preach to people anywhere and everywhere he could find them about a time when, as promised in Revelation 21:4, “[God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” We look forward to a time when he will be resurrected to life in God’s perfect new world and he will be able to speak to all those whose lives he touched.
He is survived by a brother, John Pildner of Ashtabula, Ohio; his daughters, Kathryn Ann Frye of Pascagoula, MS, and Dianne (Jerry) MacAdam of East Springfield, PA; his son, Larry (Deborah) Pildner of Girard, PA, his daughter, Carolyn (Michael) Sutton of Erie, PA, and his son Dale (Luann) Pildner of Girard, PA. He left behind many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends...too many to count.
In addition to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by his sisters, Beatrice Hugger and Dolores Kelly.
A Memorial Service will be held at 3:00 PM on March 4, 2023 at the Girard Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 7200 Meadville Rd, Girard, PA. There will be a Zoom link available for people who can't attend in person. Zoom meeting info will be sent to each request sent to: edpildner@gmail.com. Any in attendance are invited to a gathering directly following at Franklin Township Social Hall, 7455 New Rd., Edinboro, PA.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Worldwide Work of Jehovah’s Witnesses online at donate.jw.org.