Edward Ivan Ball
Edward Ivan Ball
Ann Arbor, MI
Edward Ivan Ball, 72, died Thursday, October 3, 2024, at the VA Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, after a battle with liver and kidney disease.
Ed was born on Aug. 28, 1952, to Norma (née Wood) Ball and Ivan J. Ball in Quantico, Virginia, where his father was stationed as a serviceman in the Marine Corps. Norma and Ivan moved back to Iowa City, Iowa, when Ed was a baby so that they could be closer to their families. He attended public schools in Iowa City, graduating from West High School in 1971. After high school, Ed enlisted and served eight years in the U.S. Navy. Achieving the rank of Petty Officer First Class, Ed ran the jet engine test cell on the flagship aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. He received an honorable discharge and later became a professional butcher, a career he enjoyed for many years until retirement.
Ed loved the outdoors. While he always especially enjoyed hunting and fishing, solely being in nature was a pleasure to Ed. He played harmonica and Native flute, bringing beautiful music to his family’s vacation campfires in northern Michigan over the years. He was also a skilled scrimshaw artist. Ed was preceded in death by both of his parents. He is survived by his brothers, Richard and David, and sister-in-law Deborah Loewenberg Ball; niece Sarah Ball Hakala; nephews Joshua and Jacob Ball, and grand-nephew and nieces Owen, Emme, and Lucy Hakala; aunts Virginia (née Bross), Mary Ann (née Waldschmidt), uncles William and James, and many cousins.
Donations may be made in Ed’s memory to Huron-Clinton MetroParks (https://mihuronclintonweb.myvscloud.com/webtrac/web/donation.html) or to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Michigan State Parks (https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/places/state-parks/giving) to invest in preserving and improving the beautiful public outdoor spaces that Ed loved so much.
A memorial service will be held later this fall in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Arrangements were entrusted to Cole Funeral Chapel in Chelsea, Michigan.