Edward "Eddie" Paul Charnitz

10/20/1947 - 2/28/2024

Found peace and eternal life on February 28, 2024 at the age of 76 years. Survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Mardi (née Held). Eddie was born in 1947 to Edward E. and Margaret Beyerl Charnitz. He is survived and will be missed by his sister Lynn, sister Mary, brother Gerry (Ellen) and brother Jim (Lisa). In addition he is survived by his niece Allie, nephews Matthew, Bo and Jeremy and a very special Goddaughter Amy. Eddie was SO honored to have officiated at Amy's wedding in North Carolina. He is also survived by many extended family members and dear friends. Eddie was greeted in heaven not only by his loving parents, but also many loving aunts and uncles: Arnold, Frankie, Tony (Lauretta), Martha (Bill) Dolan, Sophie (Earl) Schigley, Laura (Ervin) Meyer, Johnny, Jenny (Ernie) Fiend, Helen (George) Edlebeck, Ida (Ray) Draxler, Paul  (Lucille), Gert (Ray) Godlewski, Jim (Rosemary), Marie (Herb) Waldhart, Sonny, Gib, Vic (Julie) Charnitz, Bob (Carol) Charnitz and Sally (Johnny) Brenner.

Eddie attended St. Vincent de Paul seminary in Lemont, Illinois from 1962-1965. From there he attended his first year novitiate in Santa Barbara, California. He was still very connected to his seminary brothers and loved getting together at seminary reunions. At one of the more recent reunions, Eddie brought a bottle of wine for a "tontine" where whoever is the sole survivor of the group would get the bottle of fine wine and drink a toast to his old buddies.

Eddie served in the U.S. Army Intelligence from 1969-1972. He served in Viet Nam for a year and received the Bronze Star. After Viet Nam, he was stationed at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. He was SO proud to have served his country and was never upset that he was diagnosed with Agent Orange from Viet Nam which contributed to his death. He attended a Stars and Stripes Flight of Champions Honor Flight to Washington D.C. and while there he left memorabilia at the Viet Nam wall and at the WWII memorial for his father who fought at the Battle of the Bulge. He was very proud to have joined the Stars and Stripes Ambassador program to welcome home other veterans with a "Silent Salute". The Ambassadors came to his home to give him a "Final Salute" which meant SO much to him. The family would like to thank the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight organization for all of the joy and support they provided to him.

Eddie attended UWM and MATC and owned a picture frame store at Brookfield Square. In addition, Eddie also earned his RN degree and became a Hospice nurse. He loved being a Hospice nurse and providing support to both patients and their families.

Mardi and Eddie enjoyed traveling to Europe, Mexico and throughout the United States. One of their best trips was sharing a villa in Praiano, Italy with two dear friends and drinking limoncello from the patio overlooking the Mediterranean. Eddie also had fun curling at the Wauwatosa Curling Club where he met many lifelong friends.

Eddie's favorite thing was to spend time with his cousins from the Waldhart clan...playing sheepshead, drinking 32 year old scotch, playing in the Lasters, participating in the Polar Plunge and attending fun family functions.

Eddie was an extremely intelligent introspective person of great depth. This stemmed from his Faith and his many personal interests. He enjoyed reflecting on and discussing a great variety of topics which ranged from Theology and Philosophy, to social systems, government policy and healthcare, to the poetic and political impact of music through the decades and even Particle Physics. He remembered fondly his years of guitar playing, gourmet cooking and hosting family parties. He had a sharp sense of humor and often enjoyed a hearty laugh. He was an extremely sensitive man, often reaching out in concern, prayer and outward gesture for friend and stranger alike with intentional words of care or special gifts. Eddie found life always interesting and he deeply valued the relationships he shared with his beloved wife Mardi and many dear family members and friends.

The family would like to extend their gratitude to Dr. Woodard and the multitude of nurses, caregivers and other healthcare professionals who were involved in his journey and helping him die at home. They would also like to thank the many family members and friends who provided support and compassion.

A celebration of Eddie's life will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church at 917 North 49th Street, Milwaukee on Saturday, April 27th. Visitation beginning at 9:30am with a mass at 11am officiated by Fr. J.  Patrick Murphy. Donations honoring Eddie may be sent to the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight Organization, PO Box 867, Menomonee Falls, WI 53052 or donate online to: https://www.starsandstripeshonorflight.org

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Edward "Eddie" Paul Charnitz, please visit our floral store.