Edward Alan Mashek

Ed was born in 1949 to Elmer and Aloise Mashek in Sioux City, IA. He was the third of four siblings: Steve, Cindy, and younger sister, Deb.



Ed graduated from UNO in 1973 with a Bachelors in Business Administration. As a testament to his work ethic, he paid his way through school by working the night shift as a welder. Upon graduation from college, Ed worked for Mutual of Omaha for almost 40 years as a manager of the underwriting department. He loved the work and built many close relationships with co-workers and clients.



Ed met his wife Terri in 1973 when Ed worked for Terri’s dad delivering siding to various job sites around Omaha. Terri’s dad loved Ed, and played a bit of a matchmaker by asking Terri to go to lunch and sending Ed instead. Ed and Terri dated for three years before they married on August 27th, 1976. He and Terri have four children, Jason, Alison, Joey and Andy. Family was his everything, and he took the most pride in being a dad/family man. If there was anything he loved more than being a dad, it was being a grandparent to Lena (Andy); Caden and Charlotte (Joey and Kara); Reagan and Carson (Alison and Matt); and Alexandra, Will, and Layla (Jason and Julia). Whenever he saw one of the grandkids he lit up. Even at the end he might not have been able to remember all of the names, but he knew they belonged to him and always had a special place in his heart.



Ed grew up in the Baptist Church and has always been very involved and active in the church. Through the years, he served on many search committees for new pastors, on boards, and as a leader of the AWANAS programs for young children. He later became a member of Christ Community Church where he ushered for many years.



Outside of church and family, Ed loved to work in the yard and took great pride in his lawn. He would spend hours outside in the yard or working on projects around the house, including two fireplaces, closet organizers, crown molding and an entire sunroom addition. He was very good at building things and had a knack for knowing how to trouble shoot electrical, plumbing, ac/furnace issues. He was the go-to person for the kids when they were experiencing issues in their own homes. The two youngest boys shared his love of working with their hands, so Ed purchased a 26-unit apartment complex in 2003 so the three of them could work on it together. Joey and Andy would come home from college on the weekends and spend all of their time with Ed at the apartments. They not only enjoyed the work, but the togetherness they shared.



Ed also loved taking vacations with his family, especially those involving beaches or lakes. For many years he took the family annually to Lake Okoboji in Iowa. Ed has always loved being by the water and had dreamed of having a house on the lake. After his diagnosis, Ed sold the apartments and went on his dream vacation in 2019: taking his kids and grandkids – 17 people in all – to Disney World in Florida. It was an experience that his family will always remember.