Edward 'Ed' Roald Besenfelder

Edward Roald Besenfelder, 85, a resident of Prescott, AZ for 16 yrs, died Tuesday April 5th, 2011. He was born in North Rose, N.Y. on Feb. 16th, 1926, and was the 7th son of Joseph & Mary Weilhamer Besenfelder.
He graduated from Rome Free Academy in 1943, served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and the Korean War, and was honorably discharged in 1952.
Ed married Shirley Waller on Sept. 13th, 1952 in Rome, N.Y. and together they raised four children. He was a very loving husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, and will be greatly missed by all.
He earned his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University, graduating Magma Cum Laude in 1955. He began his career as an Engineer in Syracuse, N.Y. working for GE; he then worked for Honeywell in OKC, and retired from Honeywell Bull Information Systems in 1987 in Phx, AZ. He developed seven patents in Electrical Data Processing and was a winner of a technical excellence award in 1986.
After moving to Prescott, AZ in 1995, he attended Sacred Heart Catholic Church. He is survived by his wife, Shirley W. Besenfelder, of 58 years; and 2 wonderful sons & 2 wonderful daughters: Edward J. Besenfelder (Debi) of Bakersfield, CA; Lawrence M. Besenfelder (Phyllis) of Scottsdale, AZ; Cathleen A. McColley of Phx, AZ; Carol E. Tuerff (Joseph) of Glendale, AZ. And 5 grandchildren: Carolyn Griffiths, Andrea Allen, Richard McColley, Lauren Besenfelder, and Jessica Besenfelder; and 2 great grandchildren: Jimmy Griffiths, and Erik Allen.
Visitation for family and friends will take place from 7 pm to 8 pm, with rosary at 8 pm on Sunday, April 10th at AZ Ruffner Wakelin Funeral Home. A mass of Christian burial will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church at 9:30 am on Monday, April 11th. Interment will take place at 1:30 pm at St. Francis Cemetery in the Resurrection Mausoleum, in Phoenix, AZ.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Vincent De Paul, 120 N. Summit Ave, Prescott, AZ, 86301; or to Good Samaritan Society Prescott Hospice, Marley House, 1063 Ruth Street, Prescott, AZ 86301.