Edward Schwerdtfeger

Edward Schwerdtfeger passed away peacefully on June 25, 2026 in Hackensack, NJ at age 91. He was born in Hackensack and grew up in Wood-Ridge. As a child, he loved fishing and outdoor activities with the Boy Scouts. After graduation from high school, he enlisted in the Air Force and became an aircraft mechanic. He served six years during the Korean War and was posted in Germany and France. After an honorable discharge, he used his GI Bill to attend aeronautical school in Teterboro NJ. After graduation, he was hired by Pan American Airlines at JKF Airport as a mechanics helper. Over the years, Edward gained more responsibilities at Pan Am and rose to became an airframe and engine inspector. He was a valued member of the emergency crew that flew out to repair and retrieve damaged aircraft. When Pan Am went bankrupt in 1991, Edward was hired by Delta Airlines where he continued his career until retirement in 1994.

In 1959, Edward met a young lady, Hedwig Daniel, who was a recent immigrant from Germany. They married in 1960 and had two children. Hedwig and Edward were married for 51 years before her passing in 2011.

Edward’s love of the Adirondacks began in childhood with family visits to Lake Placid, NY. All the cousins and extended family enjoyed fishing and picking blueberries while staying at Uncle Peter and Aunt Magda’s cabin. After 14 years of marriage, Hedwig and Edward decided to purchase their own 1-acre lot near the Olympic Ski Jump Complex and John Brown Farm Historic Site in Lake Placid. With the help of their two children, the land was cleared and a rustic log cabin home was built. Eventually, electricity and water were added but there were many years without these luxuries. All summers were spent in Lake Placid and much of Edward’s retirement. He loved fishing for bass and pike in his boat and trout in the streams.

He is survived by his sisters, Marilyn Myer and Carol Geiler; daughter, Christina and son, Edward Jr.; grandsons and daughter-in-law-laws: Christopher and Brianna Robinson, Peter and Lauren Robinson and Jonathan Schwerdtfeger; and great-grandson, John Robinson.