Edward J. Nowik

Ed, 62, of Henderson, Colorado, formerly of LaSalle, Illinois, passed away December 2, 2012. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Cindy; sister, Mary Jean (Pat) Weihman, of Ottawa; brother in law, Jeff (Mary) Chemelewski; nieces, Angela Flaherty, Marianne Pinter, Julianne Salem, Patricia Parker and Kelsey Chemelewski; grand nephews, Nolan and Liam Flaherty, Joseph Sheetz, David Pinter, Elijah, Sharbel, Samuel, Isaac and Jonpatrick Salem; and grand nieces, Norah and Mary Clare Flaherty, and Genevieve Salem. Preceded in death by his parents, Edward & Angela ""Gale"" Nowik. Ed was born and raised in LaSalle, Illinois. He graduated from LaSalle-Peru High School and the University of Illinois with a Bachelor's degree in Actuarial Science and Finance. He was an actuary at Allstate Insurance in Northbrook, Illinois, for over 5 years and then became a real estate broker in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. After Ed and Cindy moved to Colorado, Ed worked as an actuary at National Farmers Union Insurance in Aurora, Colorado, for over 23 years. He was promoted to Actuarial Team Leader and Vice President. When Ed left National Farmers Union, he worked at home in the stock market. He was also president of the Front Range Toastmasters Club and on the Hazeltine Heights water board. Ed and Cindy are from the same home town and met through friends. They both graduated from the University of Illinois and married in 1973. They lived in Wheeling, Illinois, and moved to Colorado in 1979. Ed and Cindy both loved the mountains. Ed was an avid skier and especially loved to ski at Keystone, Vail, and Copper Mountain. In the summer, Ed and Cindy would go to Grand Lake, Estes Park, and the Rocky Mountain National Park. They also loved to see the Aspen trees change colors in the fall. Ed's favorite place was the Maroon Bells outside of Aspen. When Ed's niece Julianne moved to Colorado with her family, Ed and Cindy started an annual Aspen-hunting tradition with them. Ed also loved to play golf. He played on the golf team at work and won several awards with his partner Paul. He continued to play golf with his friends, especially Louie. Ed was a huge Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears fan. Ed and Cindy would go to the games, and they went to Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami and Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego. Ed and Cindy also attended the Rockies games, including the first games at Mile High and Coors Field and the All-Star game. Ed also went to the World Series game at Coors Field. Ed and Cindy loved to travel. Some of the highlights include Hawaii, St. Thomas, the Bahamas, Alaska, Mexico, California, and Florida. They also went to Las Vegas frequently, and their last trip was in October. Ed enjoyed music, and Ed and Cindy went to numerous concerts such as Paul McCartney, Elton John, Neil Diamond, the Moody Blues, Olivia Newton-John, and Frankie Valli. They also attended all of the free summer concerts and fireworks shows. Ed really looked forward to them. Ed and Cindy were both cat lovers. Their first cat was Buzz. He traveled everywhere with them. They also had Cutsie and B.J. and their surviving cats are Bright Eyes and Rocketman. Ed was diagnosed with lung cancer in February 2011. He fought it all the way because he loved life. Prayer Service will be Friday, December 7, 1:00 PM, Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 7577 West 80th Avenue, Arvada, Colorado. Memorial contributions may be made in Ed's name to: Love Outreach Ministries JAC Prabhakar, Founder and President P.O. Box 61194 Denver, Colorado 80206 Please share your memories of Ed and condolences with his family by signing the Guestbook.