Eddy Eschner
Lyrics: Live Like You Were Dying
Friends from every era of Eddy's life attended....THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! Wow. Great to see you all. The "Boys" from Fullerton...The Halls from Fullerton, our extended Eschner Family, our beloved cousins, aunt and uncle from Colorado and California, folks from Ed's days in San Diego, people he went to school with from UNLV, the wonderful folks he worked with at the College of Southern Nevada. The Kiser and Valdez clan....and the hundreds of wonderful, loving people of Boulder City, Henderson, Vegas who have shown such amazing support. Truly and deeply, thank you all for your friendship, love, support and prayers.
We will keep the story blog on the Net and will be expanding this web site so PLEASE jot down any stories, anecdotes, memories, poems or thoughts about Eddy and either email them to EveHogan@aol.com as soon as possible, and I'll post them on the BLOG for you. PLEASE also either scan and email or bring any great photos that you may have taken of Eddy over the years. We are compiling a book (and a web page!) of stories and pictures so we can share Eddy's life with his family.
If you wish to send the family a message, story, picture, etc. Please send it to:
P.O. Box 60981, Boulder City, Nevada 89006
Article for Newspaper: Mother Nature's Son
Eddy Eschner, loving husband, father, son, brother, and long-time geologist and teacher, passed away peacefully in his sleep early in the morning of November 10 after living with an inoperable brain tumor for the past five years.
Eddy was a remarkable human being. His oneness with nature, his smart and quirky sense of humor, and his strong and ever-present love for his family permeated everything he did. He was passionate in his efforts to honor the earth and our environment, and was very much at home in the wild. It was his life's work to inspire people to love and to protect our planet.
Ed was also a talented jeweler, artist, and a budding musician. His ceramic and jewelry designs were strongly rooted in Native American traditions and are in the collections of family and friends across the nation.
After graduating with a degree in Geology from California State University, San Diego, Ed worked on a variety of earth-related jobs in places ranging from Valdez, Alaska to the oil fields of Bakersfield. He went on to receive his Masters degree from UNLV and became a beloved professor at Nevada Community College. He touched the lives of many, many students in his quest to share his understanding of the planet and his desire to spread his knowledge of its incredible geologic story.
Ed's family and friends were central to his life. He taught his daughters how to carefully observe animals, raise quails and desert tortoises, as well as the best methods for stalking lizards and tarantulas. For years his Sunday morning waffle breakfasts, with Ed as the chef, were a fond family tradition.
He is survived by his wife, his two daughters, his father, his sisters, as well as his extended family of nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and in-laws. He was preceded in death by his mother, and older brother. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to your favorite earth-friendly charity.
For those of us who have known Eddy pre-brain tumor, it is hard to imagine someone whom we all have known as an incredibly great, free spirit, could have been trapped in a body that wasn't serving him, so now, in a strange way, it is a great relief to know that his free spirit has been released.
It is hard to think of Eddy without being reminded of the quote:
The purpose of life is not to arrive at death in a perfectly preserved body, but rather to slide in head first, perfectly used up, yelling 'Yahoo! What a ride!'
While it is tragically sad for all of us that Eddy has passed away, we love knowing that he had a great ride, a great life and great friends.
Ed walked to the beat of a different drummer…the heartbeat of the Earth. He was passionate about protecting the planet. Every ounce of effort we make to continue honoring the planet and sharing the wonders of geology, nature and animals with others will undoubtedly cause Eddy to continue to smile upon us.
The following excerpt is from a story called Star Man, Eagle Man that Eddy's sister, Eve, wrote for him when he got his Master's Degree in 1989. It seems appropriate for the occasion:
To the animals, he is brother.
To many of us, he is a friend,
And that he'll be, until the end.
He is a teacher to those he's taught.
He's filled our minds with many a thought.
He's taught us to go deeper, not just faster,
And to us all, he is a Master.
Star Man, Eagle Man-wherever you go,
There is something you must know:
We all love you very much!
The earth is better from your touch.
All our thanks goes out to you,
Shine your light, bright and true!
Music was very important to Eddy and this particular song became very meaningful to him in the last few years. He really wanted us all to get the message TO LIVE
Live Like You Were Dying
:Tim McGraw
Verse 1
He said I was in my early forties, with a lot of life before me
And one moment came that stopped me on a dime
I spent most of the next days, looking at the x-rays
Talking bout' the options and talking bout' sweet times.
I asked him when it sank in, that this might really be the real end
How's it hit 'cha when you get that kind of news?
Man what did ya do?
He said
Chorus
I went skydiving
I went rocky mountain climbing
I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu
And I loved deeper
And I spoke sweeter
And I gave forgiveness I'd been denyin'
And he said some day I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dyin'
Verse 2
He said I was finally the husband, that most the time I wasn't
And I became a friend, a friend would like to have
And all of a sudden goin' fishin, wasn't such an imposition
And I went three times that year I lost my dad
Well I finally read the good book, and I took a good long hard look
At what I'd do if I could do it all again
And then
Chorus
I went skydiving
I went rocky mountain climbing
I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Shu
And I loved deeper
And I spoke sweeter
And I gave forgiveness I'd been denyin'
And he said some day I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dyin'
Bridge
Like tomorrow was the end
And ya got eternity to think about what to do with it
What should you do with it
What can I do with it
What would I do with it
Skydiving
I went rocky mountain climbing
I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu
And man I loved deeper
And I spoke sweeter
And I watched an eagle as it was flyin'
And he said some day I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dyin'
To live like you were dyin'
Photo Gallery and Stories will be added daily so keep checking back! More every day! (PLEASE POST YOURS on the Story BLOG or send them to to Eddy's sister at EveHogan@aol.com.
Kent, Clark, Eddy and James
Uncle Stan
Ed
Lauralyn Eschner—All the Arts
The purpose of life is not to arrive at death in a perfectly preserved body, but rather to slide in head first, perfectly used up, yelling 'Yahoo! What a ride!'
