Ed Dier passed away Feb. 26, 2009, following complications from a fall. Ed was a long-time member of the El Macero Country Club, an avid golfer, and a consummate pastel painter. Many area residents have pastel portraits of themselves done by Ed. His landscape of the 12th hole hangs behind the bar at the country club. Ed is survived by his wife of 66 years, Rita, and by son, Ron Dier and his partner, Jock Stalker; by son, Chris Dier and his wife, Celeste, and son, Erik; and by his brother, Don, and his wife, Eva Jean.
Ed was born Dec. 16, 1921, in Hastings, Nebraska. At 18 he rode the rails to California with the dream of becoming an animation artist for Walt Disney. Instead he worked briefly in the landscape business while attending junior college in Sacramento. When World War II broke out he joined the Army, then later the Air Force. As a First Lieutenant, Ed piloted a B-24 bomber from a base in Sicily over targets in Germany. After the war, Ed worked as a sales manager for Setzer Forest Products and, in 1962, founded the Dier Lumber Company in Sacramento.
Ed cherished his time with his golfing buddies and with his early morning coffee group at Cindys Coffee Shop. Friends and family are invited to a celebration of Eds life on Saturday, March 28, 2009, at 11 a.m. at El Macero Country Club. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Diabetes Society or the charity of your choice.