Edward Andrew Kirkland

Edward Andrew Kirkland, 73, of Rainier and formerly of La Grande, died Jan. 27 at Community Home Health and Hospice in Longview, Wash.

Visitation will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Haakinson-Groulx Mortuary Chapel, 215 C. St. E., in Rainier. Services are planned for 11 a.m. Monday at Haakinson-Groulx, with Mark Kirkland officiating. Burial will follow at Hudson II Cemetery in Rainier.

Mr. Kirkland, Known as Ed, was born Nov. 8, 1933, to Cornelius Andrew and Edna Iva (Nibarger) Kirkland in La Grande. He attended school in La Grande and graduated from La Grande High School. He was a veteran of the Army.

Ed and Gloria Rose Cutting were married June 9, 1956, in Hermiston. In 2006 they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary fishing on the bank of the Columbia River.

The Kirklands moved to Rainier in 1966. Ed worked as a heavy equipment operator for more than 50 years until retiring in 1994. Projects he worked on include Cabbage Hill and the dredging of the Cowlitz River after the eruption of Mount St. Helens.

An avid Dodge fan, Ed restored a 1968 Coronet R/T convertible and participated in local car shows. He belonged to the Local 701 Operating Engineers Union and the Kalama Sportsman Club. His passions were his family, hunting and fishing. Using the handle "Blue Ghost," he enjoyed CB radio and ham radio.