Roseville, MN - Edward William Hessler Jr., age 92, died June 26, 2026, at New Perspective-Rosedale, an assisted living community in Roseville. Ed was raised in Norwich, New York, where he spent many hours roaming the countryside, hunting and fishing. Following graduation from high school, Ed joined the Coast Guard, serving on ships in the North Atlantic and as a hospital corpsman. Ed graduated from Syracuse University in 1959 with a degree in zoology and pursued graduate studies at Cornell University. In 1966, he and his young family moved to Minnesota (camping in Itasca State Park for their first six weeks) so Ed could pursue a degree in wildlife management at the University of Minnesota. He became a PhD candidate in ecology and behavioral biology in 1971. He then became a staff associate and later director of the Minnesota Environmental Sciences Foundation (MESFI), which created environmental education curricula for grades K-12. From 1996 to 2018, he served as executive secretary of the Minnesota Science Teachers Association. Following his retirement from MESFI, he consulted at Hamline University's Center for Global Environmental Education. A longtime resident of the St. Anthony Park neighborhood, Ed enjoyed camping, running, and biking all over the Twin Cities. He read widely and voraciously. Ed is survived by his wife, Lynne, his children Julie (Todd Nielsen) and Tom (Ann Bailey), and his sister, Jean DeBaun. Ed donated his body to the University of Minnesota Medical School Anatomy Bequest Program. His ashes will be interred at Fort Snelling National Cemetery later this year. Memorial donations may be made to St. Anthony Park Seniors at sapaseniors.org or Feline Rescue at felinerescue.org.