SALISBURY — Edward “Ed” Joseph Erbacher, 86, a resident of Noble Horizons Retirement Community, died peacefully on Sept. 6, 2018.
He was a longtime resident of Larchmont, N.Y., and Lakeville.
Born on Feb. 3, 1932, in Richmond Hill, Queens, he was the son of May (Weber) and Edward Erbacher.
On July 1, 1961, Ed married Mary Grace Walsh, at the Church of Our Lady of Peace in Manhattan.
Ed attended high school at St. John’s Preparatory in Queens, N.Y. He was a proud alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, Class of 1953. Ed served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He went on to work at the Allstate Corporation for 44 years where he had a successful career, winning top sales awards and forming lifelong friendships with fellow agents.
Fundamental principles that Ed lived by were generosity and justice. During the 1980s and 90s, Ed campaigned on behalf of insurance agents to attain fair working practices, and was instrumental in the forming of the organization that would later be called the National Association of Professional Allstate Agents (NAPAA).
In the early 2000s, Ed became a member of Voice of the Faithful, a Roman Catholic organization of lay persons which pursues legal accountability of church hierarchy.
Prior to becoming a resident, Ed spent 25 years volunteering and fundraising for Noble Horizons; he also served on their Strategic Planning Committee.
Ed enjoyed being a member of the Notre Dame Club of Mid-Hudson Valley. A committed Catholic, Ed volunteered at Saints John & Paul Church in Larchmont and at St. Mary’s Church in Lakeville.
Ed truly embraced life to the fullest. He and Mary Grace were avid travelers both in the U.S. and abroad.
Never bound by guidebooks, Ed sought out the uncharted in hiking, biking and ski trails, often with unplanned and memorable outings for family and friends.
An ardent hunter, fisher and gardener he took much pride in sharing his bounty. As a lifelong lover of the outdoors, Ed was committed to preserving the landscape of Litchfield County. In 1984, he donated 262 acres of his family’s farm and woodland to the Roxbury Land Trust. His interest in conservation led him to become an active member of the Lake Wononscopomuc Association.
Ed is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Mary Grace; and three daughters, Maria Csenge and her husband, Geoffrey, of Larchmont,Deirdre Price and her husband, Huw, of Oxford, England, and Amy Jackson and her husband, Bruce, of New Rochelle, N.Y. Ed’s spirit of adventure and sense of humor will be greatly missed by his seven grandchildren, Justin and Emma Csenge, Dylan and Madeline Price and Kiera, Calvin and Oscar Jackson.
Burial will be private.
A memorial Mass will be held at noon on Friday, Sept. 28, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Lakeville.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Noble Horizons, online at www.noblehorizons.org, or by check to Noble Horizons,17 Cobble Road, Salisbury, CT 06068; or to the Alzheimer’s Association, online at www.alz.org, or 800-272 3900.
