Chester J. Edney

Chester J. Edney Sr. 70, of Dalton NH, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, March 28th. Chet had been diagnosed with Glioblastoma, brain cancer, in September 2017. He was born on Harriman Road in Dalton on July 29, 1949 to Clayton Edney Sr. and Edith Wood Edney. Chet happily lived his entire life on Harriman Road. He went to school in Dalton and Whitefield and was in the first graduating class of White Mountains Regional High School in 1968. After graduation, Chet was employed in Gilman Vermont at the Georgia Pacific Paper Mill.

In July of 1969, he was drafted into the US Army where he bravely served our country in Vietnam from September 1969 until May 1970. He then spent the next year serving his country on U.S. soil until May 1971. To you Mr. Chester J. Edney Sr, we all respectfully thank you for your service, Sir.

After his time with the US Army, Chet returned to the Gilman Paper Mill where he loyally dedicated himself to his trade for the next 38 years. During those hard working 38 years he became a Journeyman Electrician and developed countless lifelong friendships with his coworkers and their families. Of those coworkers still with us, they are surely to look back and remember his gentle smile and humorous way of ending a chatty conversation to get back to work with, "Alright, enough of this, I have a mill to run."

Chet has always been known as a man that loved everything about the outdoors. During his younger years he was a very active hunter and fisherman. As the years passed, his passion for hunting animals changed and turned into a daily routine of feeding them by the pond in their backyard and watching them from his deck. He absolutely loved watching the deer, owls, bear, ducks, turkeys and numerous types of birds visit daily. Anyone visiting would also enjoy seeing the various wildlife in their yard as well as the giant koi fish that has been residing in their pond for the past 25 years. His knowledge of nature and wildlife was endless and he was always happy to share it. Another thing that Chet took great pride in was his land. After retiring from the mill, he used that same dedication he had while working there and focused it on his land. Chet was meticulous at tending to his trails that he worked tirelessly on to create. You could find him out there everyday mowing his trails, cutting trees to make new trails or to widen them, fixing washouts, building bridges, creating a camping area and walking with his puppies Lucky and Misty. He was forever picking up sticks to keep his trails looking nice as evidenced by the giant piles he created all along them. A lot of memories were made on those trails with his family and friends. Everyone has stories of camping, playing hide and seek on the snow machines and 4 wheelers, just tooling around on the 4-wheelers or lawn mower, looking for the perfect Christmas tree, snowshoeing and so many hikes around where he'd share his wisdom on trees, plants, birds and anything else in nature you were curious about. His love for his land was evident.

This amazing man leaves behind so many that will forever remember his kind hearted nature and hilarious sense of humor. His immediate family includes his wife, Kathy Lufkin Edney who he had just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary with on July 23rd. His sisters, Dorothy Hillard and Diane Shedd and brother, Clayton Edney Jr. and their spouses. Chet also has 3 children along with grandchildren and great grandchildren that absolutely adored their Papa. His son, Chet Edney Jr. and his children, Andrew, Dillan and Nick. His daughter, Jennifer Basnar and her children Jayme and Damian. As well as his other daughter, Melissa Vashaw and her son, Jaden. Papa loved spending time with all of his grandkids. Jayme and Jaden were the ones held responsible for getting him hooked on watching SpongeBob when they were little. The laughs that would come from the living room from all of them were infectious. He loved you guys more than anything, don't ever forget that. Chet also held special love in his heart for all of his nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews and his other grandkids, Adam and Hannah. His brother in law, Danny Lufkin was his best friend and partner in crime when fabricating false stories of being in the Navy Seals or prison just to humorously add to a conversation. Danny's wife, Sherry, along with Chet's other in-laws and their families, Dave and Louise Lufkin, Brad and Terry Lufkin were also very special and meant a lot to him. Chet definitely appreciated and cherished his friendships too. If you are one of the many that knew him and experienced his gentle smile and firm handshake, know in your heart that he appreciated you. He appreciated your help, your kindness, your beeps and waves as you drove by their house, your company and most importantly, your friendship. On his behalf, we thank each and every one of you for that. We also want to give a special thanks to North Country Home Health and Hospice Agency for their care and support they gave Chet during his last weeks.

Chet, Dad, Papa expressed that he did not want any services to be held after his passing. So we are going to honor his wishes and instead there will be a celebration of his life held at a later date. All that know and love him will be welcomed to attend when it's arranged. In the meantime, take a walk in the woods, enjoy nature, listen to the birds, watch the wildlife, pick up a stick or two when you're walking on a trail and smile when you think of him while you're out there, he'll be there with you.