Edgar E. Biberdorf

Edgar E. Biberdorf, 96, died October 12 after a brief illness in Munster, Indiana, and entered his eternal home with Jesus, the angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven. 

Born and raised on a farm in Frobisher, Saskatchewan in Canada, he was always a farmer at heart. He farmed with his father as his first full-time job after completing grade school in 1944, continuing what he had enjoyed doing while growing up. Handy and skilled at fixing and repairing things— a trait alas not passed onto his sons- during the off-season, he earned a diploma from Chicago Vocational Training in Edmonton, Alberta, in diesel and auto mechanics in 1949. Although fond of farming, he believed his brothers were better suited to take over the family farm and decided to leave farm life. He also abandoned the idea of becoming a mechanic and instead was encouraged to continue his education. He enrolled in high school at Concordia College in Edmonton. After once thinking he would never attend high school, he graduated from Concordia in 1954 and continued his education at the next level, earning a B.A. degree with a major in elementary education and minor in geography from Concordia Teachers College in River Forest, Illinois, in 1957. 

After receiving his degree, he was called to serve as the principal and teacher at Immanuel Lutheran Church and School in Hinckley, Illinois, Ironically, he taught first through eighth grade in a one-room schoolhouse, which was the same style of school he attended in Saskatchewan. Fascinated by maps and wanting to shore up his credentials, he wasn't finished with his formal education. He took classes as a part-time student in his pursuit of a master's degree in geography, which he received from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb in 1967. He continued teaching after accepting a call to become the fifth and sixth grade teacher at St. John Lutheran Church and School in Mount Prospect, Illinois, in 1968. His next major career change was when he left teaching in 1973 and became a sales associate in the automotive department for Montgomery Ward in Mount Prospect. His employment with St. John continued 2 years later as a second job serving as church and school custodian, which included mowing the fields and cemetery. He retired from Ward's in 1994 but transitioned as a part-time employee there until the store closed in 2000. He remained as the custodian for St. John Lutheran until 2005, leaving the work force for good after moving to Munster to be near his daughter, Sally, and her family. 

His career set him up more importantly to care and provide for his family, quietly leading by example. After courting his future wife, Lilly Freitag, who he first met at church while growing up, they married in 1958 and raised six children. He was a seemingly tireless worker and enabled Lilly to be a homemaker. Growing up during the Great Depression, he learned how to appreciate what he had and make the most of it. Being mechanically inclined saved expenses as he did most of the repair and maintenance on his automobiles. His prudent living served him and his family well. He was also a patriot and was eager to become a U.S. citizen, which he and Lilly did in 1994. 

Most important was his relationship with the Lord, which he testified if not through words then through the way he lived and the faith he fostered in his family. He was baptized on August 11, 1929, and confirmed into membership on August 10,1943, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in South Frobisher. He learned to sing at a young age and sang in a traveling choir while attending Concordia in River Forest and in church choirs at every congregation he was a member of until 2022. He served on the board of elders and board of education as well as teacher and superintendent of Sunday School among other ways of supporting the church.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Herbert and Dagmara, brothers Lambert and Alvin, and grandson, Connor Bubash. He is survived by his wife, Lilly, and their three sons and three daughters: Jane Wright (Terry), Julie Ekland (David), Lee (Mila), Sally Bubash (Leonard), Mark (Kay), and Curt; brothers Gerald (Jeannette), Orfille, Robert (Marilyn); sisters Doris, Marion (David), and Lois (Richard); 12 grandchildren; 13 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will be conducted at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Munster October 17, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. Visitation is from 9-11 a.m. Burial will take place afterward at St. John Lutheran Cemetery in Mount Prospect, Illinois. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Munster.

Arrangements entrusted to Smits Funeral Home – Dyer, IN. For further information, please contact 219-322-7300. To leave condolences, visit our guest book at www.SMITSFH.com