Newfield mourns loss of beloved firefighter, friend

On July 31, 2021, the town of Newfield lost one of its most beloved and notable community members. As an entire community grieves and struggles to accept the large hole left in their town, a legacy of selfless service, countless contributions and, above all, kindness remains.

Just shy of his 72nd birthday, Edward “Ed” Miner died surrounded by family, including 12 children, 34 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren as well as the love of his life, wife of 50 years, Natalie Miner.

Ed proudly served his community through being a member of the Newfield Fire Company for 42 years, having joined Oct. 15, 1979. He served in many different roles throughout the years including board member, EMT, assistant chief, safety officer and truck captain.

“Ed Miner was truly a one-of-a-kind individual who touched the lives of this entire community,” recalled Benjamin Emery, chief of the Newfield Fire Company. “His love of this community was palpable, from keeping our kids safe on the road to responding to emergencies at all hours of the day or night. Ed’s presence always eased the worries of those around him. His love and dedication to this place will be missed for years to come.”

Ed also worked for the Newfield Central School District for 44 years, where he thoroughly enjoyed his work and all the people he came in contact with. He took particular joy in driving the Newfield basketball team and often joked about being their good luck charm.

“His impact was huge,” said Charles “Chuck” Brockner, head bus driver for the district. “He was loved and admired. You could ask him to do anything, and it was as good as done. You never had to doubt he’d do it. He was rock solid, and you can’t say that that much anymore these days. When you got Ed involved, you never had to doubt that things would be taken care of. We worked together since 1987. He would help us being a mechanic in the garage as well as anything else you needed. He could do anything. He wasn’t just my coworker; he was my friend of 40 years, and I miss him every day.”

Brockner added that all the school’s bus drivers and all the town firefighters were invited to the private burial, and there was a long procession through town beforehand. Brockner drove the lead bus with “a quarter mile of flashing lights behind me,” he said.

“I consider it an honor,” he said. “We all felt honored to be invited.”

Ed’s contributions to Newfield and his 40-plus years of dedication to the town he loved spans from helping arrange fundraisers after community tragedies to assisting neighbors, businesses and anyone in need with building or home repairs. If there was any occasion where help was sought or a helping hand was needed, Ed was the person everyone went to.

“When we were kids, Dad would always take us along whenever someone needed help, whether it was a neighborhood farm to unload hay or chase cows, shovel snow off a driveway or a roof, set up tables and chairs or cook for a church dinner,” son Nick Miner said. “As a kid, I didn’t always enjoy doing those things, but looking back, he taught us the value of hard work and helping others. In 2010 to 2011, along with many of my family and friends, we built a house for my wife and I. Dad was there helping every step of the way.”

At the funeral procession, the streets of Newfield were lined with the people that Ed had touched throughout his life.

“I commented to my wife that it is amazing the impact that Dad had on so many people,” Nick said. “He loved his family, he loved farming, he loved driving school busses, he loved the fire department, and he loved his town. He was an amazing man, and I am grateful that God chose him to be my dad.”

Natalie also marveled at Ed’s willingness to help others.

“He did care meals for people that suffered crisis through our Baptist church,” she said. “He absolutely loved cooking. For the 50 years we were married, he did all of the grocery shopping! I’m not a big shopper, and he took care of it throughout our entire marriage. He took kids places, he took them on hayrides and taught them farming and how to fix cars. If you needed help at your house, regardless of if it was a repair, shoveling or burying a family pet, he was there.”

Ed’s daughter Kathy Kline added that her father was “a very simple man.”

“He was easy going and could get along with anybody,” she said. “Being one of the older siblings, I got the privilege of going to school where my dad worked. It was fun seeing him throughout the day around the halls or out the window doing work in the yard or on the fields. When he picked my sister and I up from practices or ball games at school, he was always ready to give any of our friends rides home that didn’t have them. We would sit in the back seat with my Dad’s music blaring. We would all be singing along to the old country songs.”

Kline recalled her younger days, when her family had many memorable Saturday nights.

“Saturday was bath night, and as we all got our baths, Dad would have his old country music playing,” she said. “Dad taught us at an early age a good work ethic. He, along with Mom, taught us the importance of honesty, how to be kind and how to help our neighbor. He taught us how to be content with what we had, even when it wasn’t much at all. The truth is, we didn’t need much since we had Dad and Mom and all of us siblings. We wore hand-me-downs very well.”

For son Daniel Miller, what really stands out to him about his dad is Ed’s affection for Natalie.

“In the summer, he would take every Friday off to spend more time with the family,” Daniel said. “They would sit on the porch and spend time catching up. He never said a cross word to her even once. He adored her.”

Natalie said that Ed’s death has left a permanent scar for her and everyone else in her family.

“You ask me how the kids are all are doing?” Natalie said. “Well, all that I can say is that his death left a huge hole in my heart and what is left of it is shattered into a million pieces. I know that they feel the same. He was an integral part of their lives. He was always available to help them or to just be there for them. One thing we do know for certain is that we will see him again. We all have a strong faith in God and what he tells us in his word. But for now, Ed is greatly missed.”

With strength and grace, the Miner family continues forward with the ideals and contributions Ed tirelessly dedicated to the community he and his family passionately love and remain devoted to. Through the lessons taught, the love given and the examples set, the legacy of Ed Miner, and all he contributed to Newfield, will continue on through his large, extended family and the countless lives he touched.

“If there’s one thing I’d really like to say to the community, it’s thank you for all that you’ve done,” Natalie concluded. “From cooking meals for 50 to 60 people, because there are a lot of us, to the funeral procession where I couldn’t imagine or expect so many people, I can’t thank everyone enough.”

Newfield Notes appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com.