Ed Vierling: engineer, fixer, sailor, but first a family man

If Ed Vierling got to go on vacation, well, then, wouldn't that be nice.

But he was not one to dream about it. Mr. Vierling was a child of the Depression, a modest, practical man at heart. Most of his life, he was just really excited about tomorrow.

"That was about as far as he was happy to look," said his daughter, Jenny Vierling, 43, of Fall City. "If something more grand came down the line, then that would be extra special."

Mr. Vierling had plenty to do in the meantime, from tending his tomatoes to driving seniors around town to fixing everything his family managed to break. Only recently, when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, did Mr. Vierling slow down.

Edwin Daniel Vierling of Mercer Island died July 25 of an embolism. He was 76 years old.

An engineer by trade, Mr. Vierling saw himself first as a family man. But he was also a wine-maker, a sailor, a gardener and a fixer of things large and small, from the electrical systems in lighthouses to his daughter's broken bike.

Born in Omaha, Neb., he was the youngest of four sons raised by a businessman and a schoolteacher. Mr. Vierling rarely talked about the Depression, but those closest to him said it colored his childhood, and later, his view of life. He would rather build a thing than buy it.

A graduate of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Mr. Vierling served in the U.S. Navy. He later moved to Seattle for a job at Boeing and for the outdoor sports he loved, from fishing to hunting to sailing.

At a party one night, Mr. Vierling met the woman who would become his wife. He was tipsy at the time, and kind of shy, but he managed to invite her sailing on his Blanchard Senior Knockabout.

"Quite frankly, I wasn't interested in him," said Jane Lee Vierling, 75, a flight attendant at the time. "But I thought, 'Wow, a sailboat — that sounds pretty good.' "

The next day, Mr. Vierling could not remember which woman he had invited to go sailing. He spent the morning calling friends, trying to identify her name.

Jane Lee Vierling thought it was rather nice, the way he pursued her. She found herself attracted.

"I have a tendency to be a bit flamboyant and hysterical," she said. "He was totally calm." A year later, they were married.

Mr. Vierling always felt a strong tie to family. He was his son's Boy Scout leader and his daughter's soccer coach. He was the one to teach his nephew how to drive. He never missed a grandchild's game.

"He was a slow and steady guy," said his daughter, Jenny. "It was all about showing up."

Over the years, Mr. Vierling worked as an engineer at a variety of places, from Boeing to the Keyport Naval Torpedo Station to the Seattle School District. But his real joy was a job with the Coast Guard, monitoring the lighthouses in Washington and Oregon.

"They're things of beauty," said his wife. "He just liked keeping them going."

Mr. Vierling kept tabs on their electrical systems for more than a decade. His wife described him as an early pioneer in wind-generated power, the man who brought a windmill to Tatoosh Island.

In retirement, Mr. Vierling volunteered with a local senior program and honed the many crafts he had taught himself through the years. He made wine and bread and sausages. And then, of course, there was the gardening. He devoted nearly three decades to a P-patch on the north side of Mercer Island.

Mr. Vierling was not content with one zucchini plant. He liked to harvest a dozen, then drop them on doorsteps.

"Our neighbors would pull shades and lock doors," said his wife. "How many zucchinis can you use?"

This last year, as Mr. Vierling grew sicker, he let the P-patch on Mercer Island go. He gardened instead by his daughter's side, at her home in Fall City. Next week, the family will hold a memorial there.

Along with his wife and daughter, Mr. Vierling is survived by a son, Craig Vierling, 44, of Seattle.

The memorial will be held at 4 p.m. Aug. 26 in Mr. Vierling's garden at 4317 337th Place S.E. in Fall City. Donations may be made in his honor through the Mercer Island Parks and Recreation/Senior Services Programs, 2040 84th Ave. S.E., Mercer Island, WA 98040.

Cara Solomon: 206-464-2024 or csolomon@seattletimes.com