Edward Eckman

Edward Eckman, 86, passed away peacefully surrounded by family and his pastor at the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hospice Care in Lebanon, N.H., on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.

Edward was born on Nov. 6, 1939, in Lancaster City, PA to Christ H. and Virginia Bernhardt Eckman. Edward was raised in Lancaster City and enjoyed his childhood growing up with his siblings along the Conestoga River in a unique location where looking out the front door of his home the river flowed south while looking out the back door the river flowed north. Edward graduated from Lampeter-Strasburg High School, Lampeter, Pennsylvania, in 1957; from Southeastern University, Lakeland, Florida, in 1961 with a Bachelor's degree in education; and from the Gordon College Theological Seminary, Wenham, Mass., in 1964.

In 1964, Edward married Martha J. Stanley and subsequently they had three sons, David, Daniel and Kevin. Edward and Martha lived in Piermont, N.H., briefly before moving to Bradford, Vermont, in 1965. Edward briefly taught at the Bradford Academy before serving part-time as pastor of the East Orange Union Church in West Topsham, Vermont, and later became full-time pastor of the West Fairlee Congregational Church in West Fairlee, Vermont. Edward later stepped down as full-time pastor and operated Eckman's Hardwood Equipment in Bradford, Vermont, while he continued to serve part-time as a guest pastor at several area churches over the years. After substantially losing his eyesight and his ability to drive, Edward took a position doing facilities maintenance at the Clara Martin Center in Bradford, VT. Edward was not only a talented builder but served as a wealth of information and technical resource to his sons and many others over the years. Edward was an avid gardener who enjoyed sharing his vegetables with friends and family, a Boston sports fan particular the Red Sox and Patriots and loved spending time with his grandchildren.

Edward is survived by his sons, David E. Eckman of Sutton, N.H., Daniel C. Eckman of Winthrop, Mass., and Kevin F. Eckman and wife, Marla Gardner Eckman, with two children, Iris and Ezekiel, in Waterbury, Vermont; his sisters, Mildred Harper of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and Audrey Bucher of State College, Pennsylvania; and his brother-in-law, Harold Charles Stanley and his wife, Constance Stanley, of The Villages, Florida.

Edward was predeceased by his wife, Martha J. Stanley Eckman; his father, Christ H. Eckman; his mother, Virginia Bernhardt Eckman; and his brother, Ronald C., Eckman.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 14, 2026, at the Bradford Evangelical Free Church, with Pastor Brian Bailey officiating. Calling hours are from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, March 12, 2026, at the Hale Funeral Home in Bradford, Vermont.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in honor of Edward to the Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hospice Care, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, in Lebanon, NH or the Vermont Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired in South Burlington, Vermont.

The Hale Funeral Home of Bradford is in charge of arrangements.