Obituaries

The world became a little less interesting on October 23, 2024 as Edward H. Miles transitioned peacefully to eternal, pain free life.

Unless you had the privilege (or misfortune, if he was having a bad day) of meeting Ed, it is nearly impossible to capture who he was in a limited amount of words, but we will try.

Born in Heidelberg, Germany on September 13, 1949, Ed came to this country on the S.S. United States with his parents in 1953. He spent his childhood in Florida, where he kept his beloved mother Margot and father Jerome on their toes with such pastimes as swimming in areas clearly marked as popular for sharks and bringing home various types of wildlife, including but not limited to snakes, frogs and (one time) an owl.

The family eventually moved to Toledo, Ohio where adult Ed grew to love motorcycles and the camaraderie of their clubs, one of which he was president for a time. We are certain he spent a good many years being a general menace to society and can only speculate on some of the shenanigans he was involved in.

None of that rabble rousing would be complete without ensuring a bit of the Miles gene stayed in this world as long as possible so Ed went ahead and had four daughters. When the last was born, he quit the motorcycle club but still enjoyed riding and the occasional poker game with friends. His hobbies became a bit more tame- fishing, watching old Westerns, playing Dr. Mario on his old Super Nintendo (he was SO good at video games) and of course, spending time with his children.

Being dad to 4 girls was surely not easy, but his daughters are confident he enjoyed *almost* every moment, especially the years raising his two youngest. He ensured there was no shortage of Barbies to play with (in fact, there was a surplus). There were trips to Cedar Point, the bookstore, countless ventures to get ice cream, Elizabethan period drama movie nights (he really did enjoy them). He was in attendance at school and sports events. Christmas was quite possibly his favorite holiday- he made sure to have a spread of food, treats and wonderful gifts. He could even be convinced to play games like Pie Face and was a good sport about it (hilarious video proof of this exists).

As they grew up into adults, he loved to bicker and banter back and forth with his girls and was known to pull the occasional prank, such as taking them to a busy store like Meijer only to quickly release of a few drops from a bottle of Liquid Stench he would sometimes carry around and immediately bolt, leaving them in a cloud of stink and confusion as other shoppers glared. He loved to talk on the phone with his daughters, so much so he would simply call over and over and if there was no answer he would move on to the next and do the same till one of them did- a habit that was sometimes cause for an involuntary eye twitch but now they’d give anything to have just one more time. He cussed like a sailor, had virtually no patience and was the epitome of a curmudgeon…and by those four daughters he will be immensely missed. Under the prickly exterior that not everyone took time to look past was a man who truly loved his daughters quite fiercely (he’d threaten to break the kneecaps of any men who wronged them) and to the very best of his ability. In his honor, the Miles sisters will carry on as independent, fierce and spirited women who will do no harm but take absolutely no shit.

Ed is survived by his daughters, Amanda (Jason) Kilgore, Megan (Josh) McCrum, Carolyn (John) Miles and Heidi (Marcus) Miles; grandchildren Lucy, Phoebe, Andie, Tonio, Elizah, Lenny and Josie; and his faithful dog, Roscoe.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Margot, father Jerome and daughter Sarah.

Our family would like to thank Ebeid Hospice for their compassionate, dignified care of Ed. We thank Kate for getting him where he needed to be. Thank you to Jewel S. for seeing our dad as a person and treating him with care and respect. And we dearly thank Gloria for praying with our dad in these weeks leading up and offering him such comfort and friendship.

Rest easy, Dad. To us, you will always be somewhat of a legend.

Interment will take place privately at Ottawa Hills Memorial Park.