Edward H. Bielo
Edward H. Bielo, 91, of Mars passed away Monday evening at Good Samaritan Hospice in Wexford with his family at his side.
Ed was born to Julius and Martha Bielo on Oct. 9, 1923.
The family moved to Duquesne Heights and subsequently purchased the Balfor farm on Beaver Street Extension in Mars. The family lived in the log cabin on the property for a brief time. The log cabin is acknowledged in the Butler County Courthouse as the oldest structure in the county. Ed donated the cabin to the Mars Historical Society, where he was a longtime active member.
It was while plowing the fields with the work horses that Ed discovered numerous projectile points left by early American Indians. Later, Ed and his friends used the fields as landing strips for their airplanes. He enjoyed flying and took lessons and flew for a number of years.
Ed graduated in the Class of 1941 from Mars High School. He was training at Penn State to become a veterinarian and was a member of the ROTC. During this time, Ed received his notice to serve his country on April 1, 1943.
Because of his ROTC training, Ed was put in charge of the men in his train car headed for Camp Edwards, Mass. He was assigned positions as anti-aircraft gunner and medic. Ed deployed to Saipan in the South Pacific with the same men with whom he trained. Ed's stint with the Army ended on Dec. 7, 1945, but not before returning stateside on the ship Marine Addis, which weathered a hurricane. The boat was an Italian ship taken during World War II.
Upon returning to the Pittsburgh area, Ed took a job building bridges for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. It was during that time that he met and married his bride of more than 63 years, Ruth Raupp.
He became the chief of police for the town of Mars. He then began a long career as a supervisor and parole officer for the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, retiring in 1983.
Ed served as the mayor of Mars for a year in the 1990s and served on the Mars Public Library Board for many years. He was an active member of the Mars Kiwanis Club and was a longtime member of St. John Lutheran Church in Mars. He also enjoyed working on the family's Christmas tree farms.
Surviving are his wife, Ruth Raupp Bielo; his children, Fritz (Susan) Bielo of Mars and Martha (Chuck) Davis of St. Louis, Mo.; his grandchildren, Elizabeth (Michael) Lewis, Sam Trocano and Tess Biel; his great-granddaughter, Nora Lewis; his nieces, Barbara and Karen, and his nephews, ED, L.J., Fred, and Eddie.
He was preceded in death by his siblings, Gertude Krause, Irmgard Johnson and Frederick Bielo.
Among his many accomplishments, above all he loved his family and the quality times they spent together. He would do anything for his family.
Bielo — The friends of Edward H. Bielo, who passed away Monday, Feb. 16, 2015, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the McDonald-Aeberli Funeral Home, 238 Crowe Ave., Mars.Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. John Lutheran Church, 420 Beaver St., Mars, with the Rev. Paul Lubold officiating. Please meet at the church. Burial will be in St. Paul's Church Cemetery in North Park.Memorials may be made to the Good Samaritan Hospice, 3500 Brooktree Road, Wexford, PA 15090.Directions and condolences are available at www.mcdonald-aeberli.com.
