Obituary for Edward Lee Bittle
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Edward Lee Bittle Ph.D.
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Edward Lee Bittle Ph.D. Obituary
Edward Lee Bittle Ph.D.
Edward Lee Bittle Ph.D., 80, of Silver Lake passed away August 1, 2015, after having been diagnosed with Alzheimer''s Disease several years ago.
The President and owner of Seal Master Corporation and ELBEX Corporation, both in Kent, Ed served on the University of Akron Board of Trustees for nine years, and was Vice-Chair of the Board.
Ed was preceded in death by his parents, Herbert L and Verna Bittle, and his late wife Fern (''Pat'') Bittle. He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Frances Yates Bittle; and by his five children, Jo Ellen (Michael) Pryce, Patti (David) Richards, son, Herbert L. Bittle II, Julie (Tedd) Cowling and DeeDee (John) Bedell. Ed is also survived by 13 grandchildren, Meredith Pryce, Allison Pryce, James Richards, Emma Richards, Sarah (Matt) Rice, Matthew (Mindi) Bittle, Ede (Paige) Bittle, Joshua Bittle, Jessica Bittle, Laura Purdy (Christopher Beckett), Ian Bedell and Adeline Bedell. Ed is also survived by six great-grandchildren, Aubrey Rice, Olivia Rice, Wyatt Bittle, Jackson Bittle, A.J. Hoffman and Arlyn McKitrick; and his brother-in-law, Gene (Marilyn) Brodie; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
After graduating from South High School in 1953, where he excelled in football ("pint-sized fireball") and formed his first jazz band, Ed began working at B.F. Goodrich Co., and taking classes at the University of Akron where Ed was a proud member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. Ed completed his degree in 1968. He then moved his family to Pawling, N.Y., where he worked for Presray Corp. He returned to the Akron area in 1974, when he founded Seal Master Corp., the premier manufacturer of inflatable rubber seals. He founded ELBEX Corporation in 1992.
Ed was awarded an honorary Ph.D. from his alma mater, The University of Akron, in 2011. He had previously received the Alumni Honor Award for Achievement in Business and the Red Cochrane Award for Meritorious Service to the University by the Zips Athletic Club. He is a former president of the Varsity A Association.
An avid golfer, Ed is a life member and past President of Silver Lake Country Club and former member of Firestone Country Club. He is a past President of Great Lakes Senior Golf Assn., enjoyed the Corner Open, and helped found the South Akron Heritage. He was an Ohio Commodore, a member of the Bluecoats, and was honored by the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce. He was named Business man of the year by Rubber & Plastic News in 2011. He was inducted into the South High School Hall of Fame in 2011.
Ed was a generous supporter of many community organizations and charities including the Greater Akron Musical Association, the American Cancer Society, the Children''s Concert Society and the First United Methodist Church of Akron. Together with his wife, he endowed the Bittle Jazz Residency and the Edward L. Bittle Scholarship at the University of Akron.
Ed will be greatly missed by his golf buddies, his South High friends and his fraternity brothers.
Special thanks are given to his devoted and loving nurses who shared their hearts with him.
Donations may be made to the University of Akron Foundation for the Edward L. Bittle Scholarship, 105 Fir Hill, Akron, OH 44325-2603. Funeral Service will be at 10 a.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church of Akron, 263 E. Mill St., Akron (entrance is on Union St.), with Dr. Allan Bevere officiating. Burial will follow at Chestnut Hill Memorial Park. Calling hours will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, at the Church.