Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Edward John George Saller was born in 1932 to Anna and Martin Saller in Crete, Illinois. He was raised in Chicago with his sisters Lois and Vera. He was very close to his family. To help support his family, Ed went to work before graduating from high school.

In the mid 1950s, he married Anne and they enjoyed square dancing. The couple had two daughters. In 1959, the family moved to Southern California so Ed could pursue new job opportunities. As a father, he was easy-going and soft spoken. He played the guitar and sang folk songs by Peter, Paul & Mary and The Kingston Trio. One of his favorite songs was "Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash. He introduced his kids to the humor of George Carlin and comedic songs by Weird Al Yankovic. With an interest in collecting, Ed used to collect foreign coins and he always knew the capital where the coin originated. When Audrey was young, Ed's co-workers joined him in adventures of collecting rocks and minerals. Audrey went along with her father and his scientist friends backpacking in White Mountains. On another trip, they traveled to the Grand Canyon to collect rocks. In 1983, Anne and Ed grew apart and divorced. Ten years later, he married Helen who was the best part of his life. Until the day he died, he was committed to Helen and they remained close.

Professionally, Ed worked in engineering. While he was working, he went back to school and earned his high school diploma in 1970. Audrey was so proud of her father as she watched him receive his diploma in a ceremony at Santa Ana High School. He went on to college and earned an Associates of Arts degree. Ed had a solid career in engineering for nearly four decades. He worked for thirty years as an engineer at Ford Aerospace from 1960 to 1990 and he worked at Boeing for 10 years before retiring. Beyond his professional career, he also taught a class on how to use the Electron Microscope at Pasadena City College. He loved his work and he never really wanted to retire.

Ed enjoyed traveling. Twenty years ago, he traveled with his daughter, his sister, Vera, and one of Vera's daughters to Germany. They went sight seeing and visited the original Saller family home in Germany. A decade ago, he and his friends flew to Florida and went on a cruise to Rio De Janeiro. He loved that cruise and talked about it often. With a love of trains, he often drove to Southern California's Railway Museum in Perris, California. He even had the opportunity to drive the train once and he loved that experience of driving a real train. A voracious reader, Ed enjoyed reading historical novels and books by Stephen King, John Irving, and John Grisham. His favorite restaurant was The Hideaway in Orange and he loved the Chili Spaghetti from Bob's Big Boy. He was also a coffee drinker.

When Ed moved to Hillcrest before retiring, every Saturday morning he'd go to the Rec. Center where they had donuts and he'd mingle with his friends. He enjoyed socializing and had many friends. Ed really enjoyed the Internet so he could write to his relatives in Maryland and Chicago. He especially enjoyed sending jokes on the Internet as it was his connection to the outside world. When Audrey was looking into an assisted living place, the first thing Ed wanted to know was that they had Internet access.

Throughout the decades, Ed lived in different areas of Orange County. He and Helen remained close as they cared for each other and Ed loved Helen until the end. A kind, soft-spoken family man who was self-sufficient, Ed Saller will be remembered as a man who worked hard into his 70s. He believed in taking care of himself and his family. He had a quirky sense of humor and he loved to laugh. Ed loved his sisters and their children and he filled the role as the patriarch of the family. Known as Uncle Ed, he was very close with his nieces and nephews. Ed loved his daughter, Audrey, and all of his grandchildren very much. He told Audrey that he looked forward to seeing a photo of his first great-granddaughter who will be born in Hawaii in February. Audrey will miss visiting with her father, his companionship, and knowing that he was there for her. His presence was comforting. Ed's advice to everyone now would be: Go on with your lives and don't be sad. He recently said that he was ready to go and he had a good life...

Ed was preceded in death by his parents. He is loved and remembered by his daughter Audrey; grandchildren Joe, Julian, Shane, Rex and Millie; ex-wife Helen and her sons Tim and Tom; sisters Lois and Vera; nieces, nephews, extended family and many friends.