Obituary of Edward Ferrer Corpuz

Edward was born on October 3, 1947, in Rizal, Philippines at a hospital in Ft. McKinley (a U.S. military base for the Philippine Army) to Sgt. Eustacio and Pacita Corpuz. At the age of 2, he, along with his mother and 1 year old sister, Myrna, boarded a ship and traveled to San Francisco. From there, they traveled to join his father at his military station in Ft. Carson, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Edward traveled a lot due to our Dad’s military service. In 1953, when Dad was stationed at Ft. Ord, California, he moved the family to nearby Seaside. There, Edward attended Del Rey Woods Elementary School then Fremont Jr. High School where he finished 7th grade.

In 1961, Dad was transferred to Erlangen, Germany where the family lived for about 2 years. Edward attended Nurnberg American High School where he completed 9th grade. In late 1962, the next military move was to New Orleans, Louisiana.

In 1963, when Dad retired from the U. S. Army, Edward rode cross country with his family back to Seaside to live permanently.

Edward started his sophomore year at the newly completed Seaside High School where he excelled on the wrestling team. He competed in the lightweight division. In 1965, he won the Championship in the Monterey Peninsula Invitational Wrestling Tournament. He was the first to bring a wrestling championship to Seaside High School. He graduated in 1965.

In 1966, he was drafted into the U.S. military and opted to join the U.S. Marine Corps. After training at Camp Pendleton, he was deployed to Vietnam for 1.5 years. He attained the rank of Corporal and received several medals: Sharpshooter Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Meritorious Mast Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. After he completed his deployment, he returned to his family home in Seaside. He joined the USMC Reserves and was honorably discharged in 1972. He was proud of being a Marine. You would often see him wearing his USMC baseball cap.

In 1970, he met Margarete Bankston whom he married in 1972. They had two children, Jeannette, and Eddie. During their marriage, they lived in Marina, San Jose, then moved to Salinas until their divorce (2005). His last residence was in San Jose.

He completed a mechanics degree at Pacific Technical Institute in San Jose. He continued his education at Monterey Peninsula college where he pursued various interests like ballroom dancing and tap dancing. He even performed his tap-dancing skills in the college’s musical, “Everything Goes.” He worked at the Ft Ord Gas station, American Auto, Firestone Tires, the Internal Revenue Service (San Jose), and retired from the U.S. Postal Service (Salinas) after 31 years.

He enjoyed playing tennis, skiing, golfing, and fishing. He also enjoyed traveling to Las Vegas, riding his motorcycle, ballroom dancing, tap dancing, playing chess and video games, photography, and watching his favorite teams on the field: the San Francisco Giants, Warriors, and 49’ers.

Edward is predeceased by his father, Eustacio. He is survived by his mother Pacita, his two children Jeanette and Eddie, his two brothers George and Fred (Maria) and his six sisters Myrna Dasig (Danny), Thelma Corpuz, Carol Pierson (Roy), Jeannie Barberie (Don), Annette Corpuz Durham (Jerry), Tricia Popky (Lenny), and many nieces and nephews. Our Mom, Jeannette, Eddie, and the rest of the Corpuz Family thank you for attending Edward’s service and for being a part of his life. May he rest in eternal peace.

In lieu of flowers, kindly donate in his honor, thank you!

Veterans Transition Center

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Monterey County SPCA

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