Edward G. Comingore, Jr.

Edward Gillette Comingore, Jr., a World War II Veteran, passed away peacefully on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2024. He was surrounded by his five daughters and 3 of his 9 grandchildren in Fruit Heights, Utah.

Ed was born in 1926 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He joined the Navy in 1943 after Pearl Harbor. He was trained and became a Naval Officer and Aviator making over 300 carrier landings. He served on the USS Midway, USS Coral Sea, and the USS Tripoli. He resigned his commission in 1953 as a First Lieutenant. 

At the age of 9, Dad met the love of his life, Clara O’Neil through church. They had their first date on Clara’s 16th birthday. They were married on July 12, 1947, and were married 74 years. They had the joy of raising 5 daughters.

Ed graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering. He received a Master of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah in 1964. He worked for a variety of corporations, Kimberly Clark Corporation in Wisconsin, Thiokol Chemical Corporation in Utah, Matson Navigation Corporation, Leslie Salt, and finally the US Postal Service all located in California.

Ed received numerous awards and scholarships while attending Ohio State University. At the peak of his career, he was the Chairman of the 1979 Institute of Industrial Engineer Conference in San Francisco and was Vice President of the Institute of Industrial Engineering. He helped automate the postal service and was named “Mr. Automation” by his coworkers when he retired in 1988.

Ed was a man of service throughout his life. He was a deacon at church and sang in the church choir for decades. He was a Freemason, a member of the American Legion, a Son of the American Revolution, a member of the National Ski Patrol for 30 years, and a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society, singing with the Voices of California. Ed sang in many International Barbershop Competitions and loved to perform singing valentines with his quartet. He was known for his fantastic memory of songs from his youth which he sang spontaneously up to the week that he passed. Ed always had a song in his heart.

 He taught his children and family the value of education and hard work, the importance of family and living each day to the fullest. His true joy was spending time with his family. When Ed and Clara’s children were small, the family spent their free time camping, hiking, and skiing. They traveled throughout the country to all the National Parks, Battlefields of the American Revolution and the Civil War and went to every Fort in the United States! As their children got older, he and Clara put on their backpacks and took his family hiking, Rim to Rim to Rim of the Grand Canyon, Rocky National Park, Longs Peak, Teton National Park and too many other places to list. Clara and Ed celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the bottom of the Grand Canyon on a float trip with Family and Friends! This was a testament to their love of family and the outdoors.

In their retirement, Ed and Clara traveled around the world and went to every continent on the planet. He skied until his 90th birthday and played doubles tennis into his 90’s as well. One of his greatest joys was the annual Comingore Reunion which started in 1989 and has continued every year since with all his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews joining in. This was a tremendous gift to his family.

Ed is survived by his daughters: Nancy (Mark) Mitchell, Katherine (John) Miller, Darlene Comingore, Beth (Tom) Ward and Laura (Ron) Hubrich. He leaves a legacy of 9 Grandchildren: Brian (Jennifer) Mitchell, Douglas (Chrissy) Mitchell, John Miller, Andy Miller, Jacob Comingore (Noa Mills), Travis (Kristy) Newkirk, Alli (Jared) White, Jenny White and Ryan (Jenna) Hubrich; as well as 19 great grandchildren and 8 nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his precious Clara Louise.

Ed was an officer and a gentleman his entire life and set standards to which all can aspire.

A funeral will be held Monday, November 25, 2024, at the Davis Community Church at 10:00 am located at 412 C Street in Davis, CA, with reception to follow. He will be buried at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery at 1:15 pm with military honors. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Ed and Clara Comingore Scholarship Foundation, providing scholarships to students interested in either teaching or engineering careers. Mail or electronic donations can be made to: Ed and Clara Comingore Scholarship Foundation, 708 Deer View Circle, Fruit Heights, UT 84037 or in care of the Venmo account of @Ron-Hubrich. More information can be found at https://edandclaracomingorescholarshipfoundation.com.

The funeral can be live streamed at www.youtube.com/@daviscommunitychurch5543.