Edward Koenig

Edward Miles Koenig died on March 26, 2024. He died peacefully at home with his favorite caregiver and on the phone with his sister, Carol. Ed was born on June 18, 1931 in Manchester, Iowa. He was the eldest child of Miles and Mary Koenig. Miles’ job with the Iowa Highway Department meant that the family moved frequently. The family grew with the birth of John in 1933 and Carol in 1945. Ed graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1954 with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree with honors. Ed served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956. After finishing his military service, Ed took graduate courses in electrical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He worked at IBM for a year in San Jose, then worked at Philco in Palo Alto from 1958 to 1962. From 1962 to 1964, Ed worked for a division of General Electric in West Germany. Ed fully enjoyed his time in Germany, as he visited other European countries, spent a month in Italy, took a boat to Greece, went skiing in Austria, and bought a Porsche convertible.

When Ed returned to the US, he moved to Los Angeles and worked for Litton Data Systems for 25 years. At Litton, Ed was a senior engineering specialist, working on computer system designs. Away from work, Ed loved the outdoors, and had many recreational hobbies, including skiing, sailing catamarans, and hiking. Ed retired to South Lake Tahoe in the late 1980’s, where he could fully enjoy all his outdoor passions.

Ed enjoyed yardwork, gardening, and working on home improvement projects. These kept him busy during his retirement. Ed loved music, and he had a large collection of big band and jazz records. Ed was always following the news, and his daily routine included reading the Wall Street Journal, listening to NPR, and watching CNN and MSNBC.

Ed never married or had children, but he forged his own path through life with a twinkle in his eye and a sharp sense of humor. A knee injury, suffered while skiing in Austria, slowed him down in his later years.

Many thanks to Ed’s caregivers who provided excellent care. Hats off to Suzanne Laub who coordinated his care for the last five and a half years and became a very good friend to Ed. His doctors also provided excellent care. A very special thanks for their patience and expertise to Dr. David Young, Dr. Erin Jones and Dr. Gregory Burkard.

Pre-deceased by brother John Koenig. Survived by sister-in-law Donna Koenig in Idaho Falls, Idaho and nephews David Koenig (Maureen) in Salt Lake City, Utah and Ken Koenig (Kris) in Boise, Idaho, sister Carol Taylor in Minneapolis, MN, nephew Mark Taylor (Pondie) in St. Paul, MN and grandniece Vivien and grandnephew Miles.

Burial was held on March 26. A Celebration of Life will be held on August 26 at Happy Homestead Cemetery at 10:00 am. We will gather at Ed’s house after our visit to the cemetery.

McFarlane Mortuary has handled all arrangements.

Memorials preferred to PBS Reno, Public Radio Reno and Keep Tahoe Blue or donor’s choice.