Edmund Drajem

Preceded in death by his father Edmund S. Drajem; mother Rose (Laban) Drajem; brother Lawrence Drajem; wife Lena (Blawski) Drajem. He is survived by his sons Lawrence (Janet) Drajem, Mark (Jody) Drajem; daughters Lynn (Brian) Roche, Rosemary Drajem; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Ed was born in Tonawanda, New York to Edmund and Rose Drajem. When Ed was young, his father was diagnosed with tuberculosis and confined to a hospital for the remainder of his days. When his mother passed away in 1945, his Uncle Gunnar and Aunt Frances Anderson became guardians to Ed and his brother, Larry. They raised Ed and Larry along with their own son, and Ed's cousin, Dennis. Ed and Larry thrived in the neighborhood that also included his Uncle Felix and Aunt Helen Laban, along with his cousin Larry.

In 1951, Ed enlisted in the United States Air Force. In 1955 his assignment brought him to Sampson Air Force Base, near Seneca Falls, New York. It was there where he met the love of his life, Lena Blawski. Ed and Lena married on Valentines Day, 1956.

Ed's military movements brought Ed and Lena to Turkey, where their son Larry was born. When they moved Louisiana, Mark was born. Their next move to Buffalo, New York, produced Lynn and the move after that, to Japan, brought Rosemary into the family. Rosemary's birth allowed Ed's younger brother, Larry, to give Ed some sage advice,  "Stop moving!"

Ed's other assignments brought him to Texas, Colorado, Vietnam and Illinois. Ed received numerous Air Force commendations and medals. He was most proud of a Bronze Star that he received in Vietnam for heroic service during an unplanned rescue of wounded servicemen.

When Ed retired from the Air Force in 1971, he met with the entire family to talk about the last move to a place that the family would call home. There was total agreement that Colorado would be the place. The last family home would be in Thornton, Colorado where Ed began a second career with the Denver Water Department.  The kids eventually matured (for the most part) and ventured out on their own. His devotion to his faith, wife and family is a legacy that should set an example for all who knew him.

When Ed and Lena retired, they moved to a home in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, that better fit their retirement needs. They took quite a few trips around America to visit places that they could not when they were raising their children. When Lena passed away in 2005, everybody who ever met Ed knew that a huge part of him went with her. In his final 17 years, not a day went by that he did not talk about her. Although he will be especially missed by his surviving family, they know that he is finally where he wanted to be, with his Lord and his wife.

Funeral Service Monday, November 7, 2022, 12:30 pm, Horan & McConaty, 3101 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood, CO 80227. Interment Fort Logan National Cemetery, 2:00 pm.