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Edward F. Barlage, Jr.
Edward F. Barlage, Jr.
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Edward Barlage, Jr. Obituary
Edward F. Barlage, Jr. of Plymouth Michigan, passed on February 24, 2023 at the age of 80. He was born in Detroit, Michigan on September 30, 1942 to Edward and Margaret Barlage, the second of twelve children. Ed grew up in Willis, MI and graduated from St. Thomas High School in 1961, where he learned how to ballroom dance—something he enjoyed throughout his life. Ed married Geraldine (Caskie) on September 8, 1967 at St. Gregory the Great Parish in Detroit.
Ed was a country boy at heart, who excelled at working with his hands. His first job was picking corn on a farm, and he had a lifelong love of farm equipment such as tractors and implements. After he and Geraldine married, he started to experience the wider world and later in life travelled to a great many places both in the United States and abroad. He told stories about those trips for the rest of his life. He also liked horses and horseback riding and was very curious about the world around him.
He made his career as a Master Plumber / Pipe Fitter. He worked on many large projects such as Fermi nuclear power-plant and Ford Rouge and Romulus High School as a union plumber for Local 98. He then worked at General Motors for 24 years, first at Livonia Spring & Bumper, then at the Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly plant. There, he was responsible for robots that installed windshields and painted the Cadillacs that the plant produced. He was a very gifted tradesman and craftsman who took pride in everything he did. He had great passion for American manufacturing and wanted only the best for his beloved State of Michigan.
Ed and Geraldine had three children, Catherine Allen (David) Edward Barlage III (Jean) and Alisa Barlage (Brandon). He treasured his grandchildren—Leif, Edward IV, Grace and Caitlyn—and enjoyed boasting about their accomplishments, rooting at their games, matches, meets and performances, taking them on trips and watching them grow.
He is survived by four sisters, Carmelita Hartmann, Patricia Noworyta (Duane), Donna Barlage, and Terese Blumhardt and two brothers, David (Cherie), and Jude (Diana), and a brother-in-law, William Martin.
Ed was predeceased by his wife of 50 years, Geraldine, his parents Edward and Margaret Barlage, two sisters, Irene Laurain and Mary Ann Fielder and three brothers, Daniel, John and Tony.
A visitation will be held at the Schrader-Howell Funeral Home, located at 280 South Main Street in Plymouth, on March 3 from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The memorial service will be on March 4 at 11:00 AM, also at the Schrader-Howell Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to PBS Detroit Public TV, Riley Broadcast Center
1 Clover Court, Wixom, MI 48393 or online at Detroit Public TV or the Belle Isle Conservancy, 300 River Place Drive, Suite 2800
Detroit, MI 48207 or online at Belle Isle Conservancy
Contribution envelopes will be available at the Funeral Home.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
280 S. Main St., Plymouth, MI 48170
People and places connected with Edward
Recent Obituaries
Recent Obituaries
Recent Obituaries
3 Entries
Brandi Higginbotham
February 28, 2023
I have had the pleasure of knowing Edward for the last 12 years. He started as one of my regular customers at Kroger. He would often purchase corsages for Geraldine for holidays and our regular visits became a treasured part of my days. When I left Kroger, Edward would continue to follow me at my next job and we would always stay in contact, even grabbing lunch together with Geraldine. It isn´t often that there is a 50 year age gap between friends, but I truly considered Edward a friend. Our lunch visits became more frequent after Geraldine passed and he would keep me up to date on his life: the grandkids, his kids, his travel plans, how his dancing was going and how he did in golf that week. Edward had this way of always making people feel important and treasured. He always knew I loved one thing: coffee. Whenever we would meet, he would treat me to a Starbucks gift card, a coin (to which I´ve kept every single one) and breakfast. We would catch up on life and he would show me pictures from his adventures. I would show him pictures of flowers and we would laugh about the first time we met and how I gave him so much crap for placing such a last minute order. Edward attended my wedding in October and I could never be happier to have shared the happiest day of my life with him. This day was all he could have dreamed of for me and the beaming smile on his face said it all. To say he will be missed is an understatement. I will miss the sports updates about his grandchildren and the way he couldn´t contain his excitement when talking about them. I will miss his sarcastic humor and how he would always tease our waitresses. I will miss the photos he would send of flowers or pictures he found on the computer that he thought I would enjoy. Edward was truly one of a kind and I consider myself lucky to have ever been in his presence. Rest in peace, Mr. Pants. Our breakfast dates will be sorely missed.
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Lee and Pat Baker
February 27, 2023
Mr. Ed or Mr. Pants Barlage
What a great soul to have as a friend and neighbor. We have lost a treasure.
We will remember:
His fun times playing with his grandkids. He loved each one and proudly talked about their special skills and talents.
His help whenever we asked for his support.
His sense of humor, teasing ways, love of a good story and laughter at many jokes.
His sharing of his extensive knowledge, skills and advice for any household need,
His joy in sharing a Silver Dollar with young-uns.
His conversation and appetite at our regular dinners.
His talented "occupational therapy" at home improvement: securing various woods and treasures, incorporating them into his designs, excitement of completing a project, and his proud sharing of his accomplishments. He loved this hobby "It keeps me busy and out of trouble." He was a passionate master of many skills.
His love of dancing...almost every Tuesday night.
His love of gigantic Christmas Trees, decorated with beautiful ornaments.
His love of playing golf with his buddies and sharing conversations, stories, etc. at the 19th hole.
We will miss Ed. He leaves a big hole in our lives and hearts on Normandy. We will miss "sidewalk-supervising," and just sitting in the driveway or Ed´s front porch visiting (AKA Shooting the Bull). He was an excellent friend and neighbor!
Lee and Pat Baker
February 27, 2023
Mr. Ed or Mr. Pants Barlage
What a great soul to have as a friend and neighbor. We have lost a treasure.
We will remember:
His fun times playing with his grandkids. He loved each one and proudly talked about their special skills and talents.
His help whenever we asked for his support.
His sense of humor, teasing ways, love of a good story and laughter at many jokes.
His sharing of his extensive knowledge, skills and advice for any household need,
His joy in sharing a Silver Dollar with young-uns.
His conversation and appetite at our regular dinners.
His talented "occupational therapy" at home improvement: securing various woods and treasures, incorporating them into his designs, excitement of completing a project, and his proud sharing of his accomplishments. He loved this hobby "It keeps me busy and out of trouble." He was a passionate master of many skills.
His love of dancing...almost every Tuesday night.
His love of gigantic Christmas Trees, decorated with beautiful ornaments.
His love of playing golf with his buddies and sharing conversations, stories, etc. at the 19th hole.
We will miss Ed. He leaves a big hole in our lives and hearts on Normandy. We will miss "sidewalk-supervising," and just sitting in the driveway or Ed´s front porch visiting (AKA Shooting the Bull). He was an excellent friend and neighbor!
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