Edward W. Bogins

1924 - 2020

Edward Walter Bogins, 95, of Pittsfield, MA, died Thursday, January 2, 2020 at his son's home in Cairo, NY. He was the husband of the late Gloria A. Bogins.

Born in Niagara Falls, NY, he was the son of the late Felix and Dominica Bochanowski. Mr. Bogins grew up in Medway, Massachusetts and entered the army in 1943. During WWII, he was stationed in Italy from 1944 until the end of the war. During much of his time in Italy he was he was assigned to a small reconnaissance unit as first scout his unit performed advance reconnaissance, including missions behind enemy lines. During one of these missions, he and his platoon stormed a castle where they liberated prisoners and recovered a large stash of art and gold looted by the Nazis. His unit was also responsible for the capture or surrender of numerous German soldiers. He remained stationed in Italy until the end of WWII in 1945. In the course of his service, he was awarded three bronze stars.

After the army, Mr. Bogins studied at the University of Maine. He left his studies to marry Gloria Fiddes and moved to Pittsfield to work for General Electric in 1948. While working full time at GE he attended the University of Massachusetts at night and graduated in 1956 with a Bachelors of Science degree in Engineering. After graduation, he continued to work for General Electric where he designed and later marketed large power transformers. He retired from General Electric in 1984 but continued as a consultant until 1992. After retirement, Ed enjoyed spending time with his wife and family, constantly working on projects around the house and playing with his children's dogs, whether his children were visiting or decided to stay for a while. He always enjoyed meeting up with his friends from GE. He was an active parishioner at Sacred Heart Church.

He is survived by his children, James E. Bogins and his wife Debra of Cairo, NY, Sharon Bogins Eberhart and her husband William of Columbia, MD; his grandchildren James M. Bogins, Marissa A. Kondel, and Tia-Nichole Bogins; and three great grand children. He was predeceased by his brothers Henry Bogins, Sigmund Bogins, Charles Saleski and sister Julia Saleski.

SERVICES: Visitation will be Thursday, January 9th beginning at 12:30PM at Devanny-Condron Funeral Home, 40 Maplewood Ave., Pittsfield, MA with a Liturgy of Christian Burial to follow at 1:30PM at Sacred Heart Church with Rev. Frank Lawlor officiating. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery.

If friends desire, memorial contributions may be made to the Gary Senise Foundation, in care of the funeral home. This foundation assists the families of veterans who were wounded or killed in service.