Former resident, fisherman, assistive technology pioneer
Ed Lazar. (Courtesy photo)
Our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and brother, Edward F. Lazar Jr., age 79, passed away at his home in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, after a long illness. Ed lived in Harvard for more than 30 years before retiring to Fairhaven. Born in the Bronx, New York, Ed was the son of Marie (Montgomery) and Edward Lazar Sr. A strong believer in the value of education, Ed earned a bachelor’s degree from Union College in electrical engineering, a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University. He also proudly served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Ed’s 40 years of professional successes included more than 20 years at Digital Equipment Corporation. There, he led a group that specialized in creating assistive technology to help people with disabilities, including creating computers that could “talk” through an innovative text-to-speech conversion technology called DECtalk. A highlight of this work for Ed was meeting Stevie Wonder.
Ed was an avid boater and fisherman, owning boats throughout his life and eventually retiring on the water with his boat, aptly named Deck Talk. Fishing brought Ed endless joy, and his proudest moments included helping his children and grandchildren catch their first fish.
Married for 51 years, Ed is survived by his devoted wife, Christie; his loving children, John, Jane, Mollie, and Mike; his doting grandchildren, Lily, Ben, Sam, Amelia, and Theo; and his sister Bette. He was predeceased by his sister Jeanne.
His family will miss so many things about Ed, including the way he laughed silently if he thought something was truly funny; the joy he found in fixing just about anything from cars to mixers; the fascination he had with the world around him, often reading three newspapers a day; and especially the casual and cool way he said goodbye: “Take it easy.”
There will be a memorial Mass at St. Mary’s Church located at 440 Main St., Fairhaven, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 22. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a young family that recently lost their father: https://www.youcaring.com/rexmaggielamb-746224.
