Ed Kuieck

Ed Kuieck was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. A hard worker and a lover of all people, Ed was a friend to many and a stranger to none. He loved sharing his love of entertaining by hosting large get-togethers, reunions, and parties at his home over the years. Generous and selfless, he enjoyed using his time supporting others with anything they needed. His special friends and loved ones will forever remember his wonderful sense of humor, immense kindness, and unconditional love.

.So much of the 1940s were characterized by WWII. It’s hard to imagine how much of an impact the war had on those living during those times. Many basic items such as sugar, butter, meat, and even gasoline were rationed to help with shortages. In 1945, John Edward was welcomed home on September 22nd to his loving parents in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Joining his older brother, Ken, and later followed by his sister, Judy, his birth brought great joy to the family home.

Ed’s childhood was spent helping out at the family-owned greenhouse and farm on Covell and Leonard Street. Although he loved selling fruit, vegetables, and flowers at the local markets, his favorite part of those years was working in the greenhouse. He also loved spending time with the horses and driving the farm equipment. As a result, by the time he was in middle school, Ed was experienced enough to drive himself to school and park far enough away that no one would catch him! From those early adolescent years, his love of cars, trucks, and tractors began. Raised with strong Christian values, Ed and his family attended Trinity Reformed Church which he faithfully attended throughout his life.

When it came to education, Ed got his start at Covell Elementary, before making his way to Oakley Junior High. He always loved working with his hands and thrived in shop class. Ed was a proud graduate of the Class of 1964 from Union High School. With a strong desire to share his mechanical skills, he enlisted in the United States Navy serving two stints equaling four years in Vietnam. Although he never talked much about those years, he worked as a ship mechanic and was grateful that he was able to return home to Grand Rapids unlike some of his fellow soldiers.

Always one to work hard, he started back to work at Bergsma Refuse driving a truck. Each and every day, he and his coworkers met up at Bylsma Restaurant on Leonard Street for lunch. Patricia Grasmeyer was their regular waitress. After several months, Ed struck up the nerve to call Pat and ask her out. Luckily, she said yes and the course of his life changed forever! Their first date was a memorable dinner at Turk’s Restaurant before heading to the Muskegon Mohawk’s hockey game. Smitten from the start, they later joined in marriage on November 5, 1971, at the West Leonard Christian Reformed Church. Following their reception at West Side Christian School, the newlyweds set off for their Florida honeymoon. While working as a delivery driver for Buttercup Bakery, Ed spend any amount of time he had building their family home next to his parent’s home in Tallmadge Township. They lived there happily for over fifty years!

Ed and Pat adopted two children in the mid-eighties who stole their hearts forever! Nick and Heather were treated like royalty by their loving dad, Ed, who despite his busy schedule with his refuse removal business, always made time for fishing, go-carts, boating out on Lake Michigan, and spending quality time with them. He always had their best interests in mind and savored many special trips and memories with them. Ed shared his love of building with them and they literally grew up at the local hardware stores around town! Always active, he loved spending time on home projects and prepping the yard for summer parties. Ed even engineered his own irrigation system for his yard, a filtration system for their lake, and motorized their paddleboats. He was always a forward thinker and had the know-how to complete projects from his vision to reality! Ed was an idea man who loved to work with his hands. The only thing that made him happier than seeing one of his ideas come alive, was sharing his passions with those around him

Throughout the community, Ed was well known for his sincere generosity. He loved to serve as a deacon as well as an usher at TRC where he showed off his sense of fashion with flashy suits and warm smiles each Sunday. Ed always found ways to give of himself to others, whether it was spending time with his grandkids on the boat in Lake Michigan, having the neighbor kids show him their catch out of the backyard pond, sharing a story or joke with just about anyone who would listen, or getting a wave from the neighbors as he used his loader to clear their driveways in the winter. When it came to his grandchildren, Ed loved each and every one of them and made them each feel special in his presence. Above all, Ed was a man of integrity. He never overpromised or under-delivered. While he was never one to talk about himself, those that knew him well would say that he was a smart businessman, handy, funny, kind, a great storyteller, giving, a veteran, and, most of all, loved by all who knew him.

John “Ed” Kuieck, age 76, passed away on Sunday, April 3rd, at Metro Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ed was preceded in death by his parents, John and Joan. He is survived by his wife of 50-years, Patricia, his son Nick, daughter Heather, son-in-law Ben and his grandchildren Jacob, Bianca, Ashley, Evan, and Briley. Ed built his business, Ed’s Rubbish Removal, from the ground up. Starting in 1979 it proudly served West Michigan until his retirement in 2019. When he wasn’t behind the wheel of his garbage truck, you were likely to find him tinkering in his shop on one of his many projects. A visitation will be held at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. NW Grand Rapids 49504, on Wednesday, April 20th from 4-7 pm with a short service afterward. There will also be a celebration of life scheduled for June. In lieu of flowers, the family would ask for donations to Special Olympics of Michigan https://www.somi.org/waystogive or Harbor Humane Society https://harborhumane.org/donate/