Edward F. Pilla, of St. Louis, Missouri, died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family (both in body and spirit) the morning of December 20, 2023. Ed, Eddie, or Pop, as he was known, was nearly 96 when he took his last breath, and he lived the hell out of each and every one of those years.

Ed was born January 28, 1928, and grew up in the Dogtown neighborhood in the house built by his father, back when you could still have a cow in your yard. He spent his youth with a gaggle of boys that were known for their wild hijinks – often involving wild zoo animals or the fire department – and snappy nicknames, like Fats or the Gravedigger. He was driving a coal truck by the age of 12, and likely chomping on a cigar while doing it. Despite his early entry into the workforce, he was valedictorian of his class at Eugene Coyle High School and has the report cards full of A’s to prove it.

There were many eras of Ed Pilla: there was his early youth in Dogtown; the coal yard years; the Eddie’s tavern years; the cement-truck driving years; the Maplewood Lions years, and the Mario Brothers years (not the videogame, but instead, 2 Italian handyman brothers), and finally the retirement years, also known as the errand running years.

Anyone who ever sat at his kitchen table on Goff Avenue has heard his stories from these eras that were weaved both of truth and colorful embellishment and peppered with language that is not appropriate for publication in this setting, and would be more appropriate in a bar full of sailors. Ed was known for his ability to use the phrase SOB as every part of speech: noun, verb, adjective, and adverb, and he did so liberally. His stories are what we will carry with us now that he is no longer here to tell them.

There were things with Pop you could always count on: that he would have ice cream after dinner (and make you the best cone ever if you wanted one), that there would always be candy on the kitchen counter, cake for breakfast, strong black coffee, the St. Louis Post Dispatch on the kitchen table, too much salt in the roast, The Ham for holidays and celebrations, Wheel of Fortune or a Cardinals game playing on the television, Aqua Velva, pinkie rings, chamois shirts with a turtleneck, distracted driving (even when his van spontaneously burst into flames, he kept driving for a few more years), and an endless knowledge of the St. Louis Arch, where he could easily have worked as a tour guide.

There is so much more, much of it food related: Mary Janes candies, chocolate licorice, hard salami, a loaf of fresh bread from The Hill, cinnamon pastries from Missouri Bakery, taco night, freshly popped popcorn with salt, cowboy boots with a suit, cigars in a shirt pocket (until he quit), Lions Club bingo and barbeques, pants laid over his kitchen chair for the night, him ‘singing’ in church, bouncing a toddler on his knee while singing a song in Americanized Italian, hard hugs, helping getting his left arm into a jacket, big meaty hands, oh and the dancing! He was an incredible dancer and cut a rug at every wedding he attended. Pop had a language all his own – you sleep on a pilla (pillow), you use the tarlet (toilet), you eat brachs (brats) at a BBQ, and if you’re not careful, you might accidentally see a prono (no explanation) movie on cable late at night.

He was endlessly curious and up until his last weeks, still read the newspaper nearly cover to cover. He had a lot of opinions about the world, especially about those in power, but they never remained stagnant. He was able to change his point of view when presented with compelling new information, which happened again and again over his near-century of living. One thing was a constant: his belief in family above all else, and that family is not just those we are related to, but the ones we choose as well.

More than anything, Ed Pilla was a human being. He made mistakes, he made them again, he hurt people he loved, he could be selfish and gruff at times, but he kept growing and trying to be better, kinder, grateful, and more loving. He struggled as a young father to live up to his role, but he tried to make up for it by being the absolute best grandfather he could be. Even then, he still made mistakes, but he never stopped trying to get it right. He was funny, fiercely protective, stubborn, and sweet. He never failed to tell you he loved you.

Ed is preceded in death by his absolute gorgeous angel of a wife of 66 years, Mary (nee Greenwell), his parents, Dolly and Edward Pilla, his sisters and their husbands, Rosemary & Bob Russell and Margaret & Joe Walsh, as well as his beloved sons-in-law, Don Hawken and Chris Rutherford, and his nephew, Bobby Pilla.

He is survived by his brother Frank and sister-in-law Claire and all seven of his children and their partners: Carolyn Rutherford (Lee Schweitzer), Eddie III (Kathy Zahn), Patricia Hawken (Larry Thomas), Catherine McGrane (Kevin), Michael (Janet), Jacqueline Bauer (Lee Medina) and Geraldine Jauhola. He also leaves behind his very special friend, Neva McConnell Groves.

Additionally, he is grieved by his 19 grandchildren and their partners: Heather Visnesky (Justin), Sara Rutherford, Laura Rutherford (Vanessa Garrett), Sin Murray, Angela Koenig (Steve), Eddie IV (Heather), Kelly Zahn (Ken Love), Emily Hawken (Tomek), Kristiane Falken (Hendrick), Jane Hawken (Garth), Sam Hawken (Maddy), Maureen Ennis (Dan), Katheleen Tipton (Danny), Kevin McGrane (Alicia), Jocelyn, Tony Ross, Corey Bauer (Sarah), Signey Bauer (Dylan), and Riley Jauhola.

Ed was fortunate enough to live long enough to know all of his 28 great-grandchildren: Eliot and River Visnesky, Joshua Reininger and Christian Jungers, Adria Koenig, Dylan Poulson and Alexis and Brady Pilla, Chris and Kaleb Love, Dexter, Neville, and Lewis Day, Nova Falken, Kip and Finn Hawken, William, Christina, and Darrick Ennis, Madeline, Abigail, Daphne, Emerson, and Wesley Tipton, Delton and Lochlan McGrane, Jamin Selness, and Erik Nash. He even lived to see two great-great grandchildren come into the world, Autumn and Liam Reininger.

Ed has donated his body to medical science. A memorial service will be held on January 28, 2024 at Immaculate Conception in Maplewood, Missouri. Visitation is from 10:30am – 12:00, with a funeral mass to follow. Donations in his memory can be made to the Maplewood Lions Club.

You can watch a video that includes some of Ed’s eras here: https://youtu.be/qOtCdba-Ndw