Edward Arthur Kinish, age 77 of Brady NE, passed away Saturday August 3rd, 2024 after a long battle with cancer. Ed was born on July 29, 1947 in Broken Bow, NE to Arthur Edward and Lily Barbara (Weinman) Kinish. He was the sixth born of seven children; Barbara, Angela, Lois, Virginia, Sarah and Karen. He was the beloved “Uncle Eddie” to many nieces and nephews he grew up alongside. Ed said he always felt very close to and loved by his family who was also very proud of him.
Ed was married to Karen M. Goodhand on April 8, 1972 in Fort Monmouth Chapel in Eatontown, NJ and they had one child, Tonia, two years later in Okinawa Japan where he was stationed during Vietnam.
Ed was fortunate that God allowed him the many talents he had naturally as well as the education he got along the way through life. He was born to be a farmer and rancher. He graduated high school in Merna, Nebraska. He enlisted in the Army National Guard when he was nineteen and then went active duty in the Army when he was 23. In the United States Army he trained and became a mechanical communications expert. After discharging from the Army in 1978, Ed made his home in Brady and remained in the National Guard. He attended Mid-Plains Community College (MPCC) for an associate degree in HVAC and had his own business for about 15 years, then later received a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Technology from UNK.
Ed taught high school for about 5 minutes but mainly taught second-year classes for the HVAC degree at MPCC from the time he graduated for about 25 years. He said he liked to teach those who WANTED to learn. Ed worked and retired from the Union Pacific Railroad the last 20 years of his “official working” years. But everyone who knows Ed knows that his UP job was just to be able to feed his “hobby” that he started after graduating from UNK and after Tonia left home. That was his affinity for miniature Black Angus cows called American Aberdeen Angus. Karen started the herd by adopting a bottle calf from the sale barn one day and at the peak of their operation Ed and Karen had over 250 head of “pets” to feed and love and take care of. They both love animals and they were very attentive parents. Ed has friends throughout the country that have cows from his herd. Besides the cattle preoccupation Ed also loved hunting, fishing, woodworking, gardening, “shootin the breeze” and just generally being with people.
Ed was a farmer, a son, a husband, a father, a teacher, a doctor to God’s creatures, a soldier, a carpenter, a mechanic, even a musician if necessary to lighten a mood.
Ed was a good person who cared about family and friends and would help them out during their time of need. Many have expressed that Ed helped them out in so many ways. He’d lend an ear and a solution if they had a problem and he’d help them fix their dilemma when he could and get them back “on the road of life again.” He always said that people need second chances and he helped when he could to see that people received those second chances.
He did not know a stranger, and if you were his friend, that friendship lasted forever. He was loved and respected more than he ever knew. He finished what he started and that is a life well lived.
Ed is preceded in death by his parents, two sisters (Sarah and Virginia), three brothers-in-law (Floyd, Mike and Bill), two nieces (Diane and Kandi), one great-grandchild (Axl), and many other friends and family.
Ed leaves behind his wife of 52 years, his daughter Tonia N. Beck, Grandchildren Sydney M. Ostronic (Tyler), Sofia T. Beck, James P. Beck Jr., Jacob C. Beck, Thomas R. Beck, and great-grandchildren Aislynn E. Ostronic and Riona L. Ostronic.
Visitation will be held at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, Gothenburg; Monday, August 12, 2024, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm with the family present. A Rosary will take place at 7:00 pm.
Funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of Good Counsel, Tuesday, August 13, 2024 at 10:00 am with Father Joseph Ravi officiating.
Interment will take place at Fort McPherson National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, or Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10306.