Edward T. Cavanaugh

Edward Thomas Cavanaugh, 84, passed away peacefully on Monday November 18, 2024.  Edward aka “Skip” was born on April 5, 1940 in Schenectady to Mary L. & Edward P. Cavanaugh. He grew up in the town of Bellevue and graduated from Mont Pleasant High School. He loved James Dean and music; especially the music of Elvis Presley.

In his school years, Ed became very close friends with Louis J Kmetz, with whom he later hitchhiked to Indiana to visit James Dean’s gravesite. He was also very close friends with Philip “Don” Bergeron and Jerry Naze.  Ed, Louis, Don and Jerry, along with Louis’ sister Judi & husband Joe “Brud” Bailey, have remained friends most of their lives.

Ed met his first wife Pamela during high school, and he enlisted in the US Army shortly after graduating. After Basic Training in NY,  he was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska where they had their first child Dawn.  He then transferred to St Louis, Missouri where their second child Dean was born. After serving for six years, he was honorably discharged as an E5.  Once Ed was discharged, he and Pam returned to Schenectady where he started working for General Electric, and they had their third child Donald.

Ed absolutely loved music, and he grew an extensive collection of music and music memorabilia. He also loved going to concerts.  In earlier years, Saturday “Music Nights” became a tradition at home; when he would turn up the music, play musical trivia with his kids, and the family would have either steak sandwiches or tacos for supper. Afterwards, he would go visit with his parents who lived upstairs.

Ed loved baseball and was an avid NY Yankees fan.  He became very involved with the Schenectady Little League, where Dean and Donald played baseball when they were young. He became a Farm Team coach during his time there. He also enjoyed car shows, and he inherited his father’s blue 1964 Chevy Impala which he took much pride in caring for.

Years later, Ed married E. Lynn Sargalis, who also had two sons of her own, Ricky and Jamie; all of whom he had originally met during his time with the Schenectady Little League.  They eventually moved to Bellevue and lived a happy life together, often traveling to Florida to their timeshare or to different casinos in NY, NJ & Connecticut. They also enjoyed the backyard pool with family and friends, and they never missed the annual Elvis Festival in Lake George. Together they fostered and raised Kayte, Lynn's great niece. Later on, Kayte gave birth to a baby boy, Ares.

Ed & Lynn were avid animal lovers; they loved their dogs Shep, Elvis (E) and Buddy; and their birds Nikki, Sweety, Lovey, Tweety, and Skippy.  He eventually retired from General Electric after 35+ years to take care of Lynn until her passing in 2018.

Edward is survived by his daughter Dawn; son Dean (Lori), and their children Emma & Johnathan; son Donald (RaeAnne) and Justin Diamond; Kayte Rae Narbon-Segal (Brandon) and Ares Chapman. He is also survived by his stepson Jamie Sargalis (Janine) and their children Jennifer and Justin; and stepdaughter in law Rebecca and her children Rory and Gregory. Rebecca’s spouse Ricky, also Ed’s stepson, sadly passed away earlier this year. Ed is also survived by several relatives and friends.

A burial service is planned at Park Cemetery in Scotia at 11:00 am on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Animal Protective Foundation or to St Jude’s Hospital.

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