Ed McManaway passed peacefully on March 18, 2024. He was born on January 13, 1935 to Everett and Inez McManaway of Wheeling, Illinois as the seventh of eight children. He married the love of his life, Betty Guge on February 16, 1957. In the months following their wedding, the two of them had quite the adventures. The week after their wedding they drove to California for Ed’s Army heavy vehicle training for 6 weeks. Upon finishing his training, they had less than a week to drive back to Chicago so he could catch a flight to begin his 18 months of active duty in Germany.

While there, Ed drove trucks all over Germany and the surrounding areas and had little time off. In the free time he had, he made sure to take trips with Betty around Western Europe. Their favorite trip was Paris and later the World’s Fair in Brussels, Belgium. After Ed’s service they returned to Wheeling, Illinois to start their family and his own excavating business. They built their own home that was not completed until the day they moved out, and by that time they had two sons, Walter (Wally) and Gordon (Gordy). In 1974 they moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin to start the next chapter of their lives, farming and enjoying the country life.

Upon moving to Whitewater, Ed continued his excavating business while running the farm at the same time. He was a magician on his backhoe and Caterpillar, always wanting to get his jobs done the right way the first time. He also loved farming, spending time working the fields, and tinkering on projects out in the shop. Even though Ed may have come across with a hard exterior, he loved his family very much. Every day in his wallet he carried around original photos from his and Betty’s wedding day, in addition to other family photos, until his final days. 

Ed was predeceased by his wife Betty, and his siblings, Ruth LeVine, Sid, Wade, Fay McKinney Walker, Bill, and Norman, and is survived by brother Martin McManaway, sons Wally (Gina) and Gordy (Omlay), and grandchildren Erin and Thomas.

We wish to thank Stephanie and Jess from Hearthstone for their help, John and Nancy Hoffmann for lifelong friendship and support, and the numerous other friends and neighbors that visited or left their impact on his life. A combined celebration of life service will be held for both Ed and Betty on Saturday, April 6 at First United Methodist Church. Visitation will be at 10 a.m. and the service will be at 11 a.m. A lunch will follow in Fellowship Hall.