Edward Michael Summers

September 14, 1950-April 26, 2011

Security resident, Edward Michael Summers, 60, died peacefully at home April 26, 2011 after a courageous nine-year battle with cancer.

Ed, who served in the U.S. Army from 1980-84 and was stationed in Germany and at Fort Carson, was a Meat Cutter at the Fort Carson Commissary. He was proud to be an American. Some of his past employers included the Broadmoor Hotel, Hampton Village Apartments, Terminex, and Safeway.

Ed was born September 14, 1950 in Akron, OH and was the seventh of nine children born to Charles Edward and Margaret Kilmartin Summers. He was raised in Doylestown, OH.

Ed lived in the Colorado Springs area for 29 years. He was a people person who enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. Ed enjoyed being Papa to his granddaughters Truette and Alaina. He would constantly ask, “When’s Truette coming over?”Ed and Alaina’s relationship was just starting when he was called home to Heaven. He also enjoyed spending time mentoring other children, to include nieces, nephews, and children of his friends and in his neighborhood.

Ed loved home life and all it involved. Taking care that things were working well around his home was very important to him. Ed loved spending time in his backyard. He had an aviary in his back yard and enjoyed raising cockatiels, pheasants and doves. There was always a bit of anticipation in the spring planning a vegetable garden and what to plant. He also loved dogs and horses.

Ed also loved traveling. Some of the places he most recently traveled were Maui, Niagara Falls, Disney World, The Crazy Horse Memorial, The Grand Canyon, The Riviera Maya and Mazatlan. He often reminisced that it was not only the trip he went on that was important, but who he experienced the trip with and the memories he made with them.

Ed was at peace in nature; he was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing, hunting and camping. Every spring he would study the Colorado Big Game Book to choose where he would hunt in the fall. Planning his hunting trips and the friends that would go with him was one of the main highlights of his life in the fall of each year.

Some of his collections were shovels, (people asked him why, his response was that they reminded him of his first job; last count there were 102 lining the wooden fence in his back yard), bird houses, (he enjoyed early spring and watching wild birds claiming their home to start their family each spring) and wind chimes.”

He married his wife, Nita, September 14, 1996 at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs and had a unique “old west” theme wedding. He is survived by his wife of 15 years, Nita; his daughter, Alicia Weatherly; his granddaughters, Truette and Alaina Weatherly; his sisters, Patricia Summers and Kathryn Kraus; and his brothers, Charles and John Summers. He was preceded in death by his father, mother, brothers, Paul, Michael, and Robert Summers, a sister, Susan Carson; and his grandson, Xander Weatherly.

Ed was known to have a big, strong heart according to his family, friends and even the professional staff that took care of him. He will be missed by all.