Edward A. Harter

Edward Anton Harter (Ed) was the eldest child born to Tony and Virginia (Lassig) Harter on December 23, 1938 in Stratford, Wisconsin. Although born in his maternal grandparents’ home surrounded by extended family, work brought his parents to Minnesota. Ed grew up in the small southeastern Minnesota town of Adams with his sister Aggie, and brothers Al and Phil. After attending grade school at Sacred Heart Catholic School where he also served as an altar boy at church, he was one of 35 seniors in Adams High School graduating class of 1956 where he played football, managed basketball, and sang in the mixed chorus, all while working part time at Wagner’s Super Valu.

Ed went on to the College of St. Thomas and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting in 1960. Service to his faith community continued after college when he decided to take his degree and teach for a year in a Catholic high school in Birmingham, Alabama. As the war in Vietnam escalated, his call to service took another direction. He enlisted in the Navy and started his four years of military service, first at officer’s training and then as a Lieutenant aboard the USS Bellatrix as a paymaster, completing his service to country in 1965.

After returning home, he went back to St. Thomas, earning a Masters of Arts in Teaching. For 30 years, he taught math to students in the Minneapolis Public School system, first at Ramsey Junior High, followed by Bryant Junior High, Washburn High School, and finally at South High School, retiring in 1997. For just as many years, he also provided tax preparation services for many family and friends. In the winter months, if he wasn’t grading papers, he was probably working on somebody’s taxes.

Ed met Margo Jones in his first year of teaching in Minneapolis. A few years later, they were married on May 23, 1969. Their loving, good-natured, travel-filled partnership was an excellent example for the three children they raised in Edina, Minnesota. Time with family, making lefse over winter breaks, gardening, and taking their children to just about every state in the continental U.S. were all important moments in the Harter family.

Retirement brought many new adventures. It was now Ed and Margo’s turn to explore much of North America’s natural beauty and historically significant locations together. Memorable trips included Alaska, the Canadian Rockies, and the desert Southwest, but it was Okanagan area of British Columbia that was Ed’s favorite. As the grandchildren got a bit older, large family trips to Yellowstone National Park, Disney World, and a houseboat adventure in Voyageurs National Park gave them a chance to share their love of travel with the youngest generation. Although a teacher by trade, Ed was a life-long learner and eventually interest turned to genealogy and travelling to areas where previous generations had lived. Ed spent much time researching the service of Margo’s ancestor who served in the 4th Minnesota Regiment during the Civil War.

A few years after retiring, they moved to a home with fewer stairs and a place to park their RV in Plymouth, Minnesota. Ed continued to serve the community as a frequent blood donor, volunteer at VEEP food shelf in Bloomington, MN and a tax preparer for seniors at the Plymouth Community Center. Together, Ed and Margo made sandwiches and roasted many Thanksgiving turkeys for Sharing & Caring Hands through their church, St. Mary’s of the Lake. Once travel became too difficult, and the needs of a home and yard too demanding, they made the biggest move of all, to a new senior apartment in Corcoran, Minnesota where they made many new friends and become part of a caring and supportive community.

Ed’s health had begun to slowly decline in the last few years, and on Sunday, September 28, 2025, surrounded by loved ones, he made his final journey home. He was proceeded in death by his parents, Tony and Virginia (Lassig) Harter, sister Aggie and brother-in-law Jim Morman, brother Al Harter, and sister-in-law and brother-in-law Jackie and Mike Flor. Ed is survived by, and greatly missed by his traveling partner and wife, Margo and his devoted family: Kristina (Ed Terhaar), Becky (Sean Faulk) and Tony Harter (Shauna Keophilalay) and 5 grandchildren: Abgail Faulk, Julia Terhaar, Nathan Terhaar, Madeline Faulk, and Taylor Harter, as well as his brother Phil Harter (Charlene), sister-in-law Sharyn Harter, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Corcoran, MN on Saturday, October 18th, 2025 at 11am. Visitation for 1 hour prior, beginning at 10am with luncheon to follow in the Parish Center. Interment to follow at Fort Snelling on Monday, October 20th, 2025. We will meet at assembly area #4 at 10:45 for the burial with Navy Honors at 11 AM.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Ed’s memory would be appreciated to:

Sharing and Caring Hands of Minnesota 523 North 7th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55405

or

The St. Paul Seminary 2260 Summit Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105