Bloomington, MN - Edward "Ed" Charles Bather, Jr., age 101, of Bloomington, MN passed away peacefully on September 29, 2025 surrounded by his family. Ed had a million-dollar smile and an infectious laugh that could light up a room. If there was a loud, happy gathering Ed was in the middle of it, raising a glass, toasting the latest milestones, and making sure everyone felt seen. Ed, son of Isabel Grace Bather (Myers) and Edward Charles Bather, Sr., husband of Neoma Bather (Johnson), passed away at Friendship Village in Bloomington, MN. Ed was born on July 29, 1924 in Sheldon, Iowa and grew up in Minnesota, attending schools in Mankato, Red Wing and Minneapolis. He graduated in 1942 from Washburn High School in Minneapolis. As a boy, he delivered the Minneapolis Tribune on his morning paper route in middle school and high school. In 1943 Ed began serving his country as a U.S. Navy electronics technician aboard a Landing Infantry Craft in the Pacific during World War II. After the war, Ed graduated in 1948 with a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota, where he was a member of Chi Psi Fraternity - then, and always, a proud Gopher who bled maroon and gold. He and his first wife, Patricia Atkinson (Bauman), married in 1954 and made their home at Timber Lane on Gideon's Bay, Lake Minnetonka with Pat's son Jeff and, later, their sons Ted and Pete. In 1966, Ed married Neoma Johnson. He and Neoma had two daughters together - Anne and Sarah. Together they built a life of hard work and warm hospitality at Batherbrooke Farm in Maple Grove, selling sweet corn, raising beef cattle, and hosting legendary family celebrations. Ed and Neoma hosted annual family reunions at Grand View Lodge in Nisswa, MN, a summer tradition the family continues today. In 2010, they moved to a townhome at Friendship Village senior community in Bloomington, where he delighted in making new friends and serving as the Council President. Ed's professional life spanned public service, construction, consulting, and real estate. He worked with the Minnesota Highway Department, Johnson Construction, Ziegler Company, and his father's firm E.C. Bather & Associates. In the 1960s, he helped launch Bather, Ringrose & Wolsfeld (BRW), which grew into a respected multi‑disciplinary consulting firm. In the 1970s he cofounded Bather, Belrose & Boje (BB&B), a traffic engineering firm that, through later partnerships, became part of Westwood Professional Services, of which Ed was a partner. He also founded Specrotec and Bather Grassland Consultants, influenced by his work at the University of Minnesota. When hiring employees, Ed loved giving them room to fly and cheering them on. Ed's passion project was building Yorktown Offices in Edina in 1972 where he managed the building into his late 90s. Ed sought to make the most of every day and often cautioned his family not to "fritter the day away." He kept a disciplined routine well into his 90s, working six hours a day, five days a week at Yorktown Offices after lifting weights and swimming laps at the Friendship Village fitness center. During his professional life he was a member of Rotary for over 60 years. With his strong belief in the value of education, he established a scholarship that gives talented high school graduates a full ride through the U of M's College of Science and Engineering, helping champion the next generation of engineers and scientists. He and Neoma enjoyed winter escapes to Arizona, Florida, and Mexico, but full-time retirement never interested him. Ed was continually active throughout his life playing tennis and handball, skiing into his 70s, and golfing well into his 90s. He was a Gopher football season ticket holder for 71 years. Ed was preceded in death by his parents Isabel and Edward, his sister Mary Jane and his wife Neoma. He is survived by his children Ted Bather (Patty), Pete Bather (Laura), Anne Arden (Dan) and Sarah Haessig (Bill); his grandchildren Peter John Bather (Abi), Avery Bather, Carrie Bather, Travis Bather (Martha), Adam Bather (Lindsay), Amanda Powers (Jared), Jonathan Morse, Katharine Morse, Everett Arden, Isabelle Arden, William Haessig, Wesley Haessig, Walker Haessig; and great-grandchildren August Bather, Henry Bather, Teddy Bather, Daphne Bather and Sydney Powers. He will be remembered with love by many extended family and lifelong friends whose lives he shaped in ways big and small. If you would like to honor his memory, please donate to the Southdale YMCA https://www.ymcanorth.org/locations/southdale_ymca