Edward J. Filusch, 74, formerly of Middletown, passed away July 17, 2021, at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, following a courageous six-year-plus battle with brain cancer. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to the late Edward B. Filusch and Virginia Marie (née Matuska) Filusch, the proud older brother of three sisters, Mary-Jean, Elaine and Carol. He graduated from St. Xavier High School and the University of Notre Dame. He also held advanced degrees in engineering and business from Princeton University and MIT, respectively.
His many accomplishments throughout his nearly three-decade career at Colgate Palmolive, culminating in his role as vice president and corporate treasurer, include an instrumental role in crafting Colgate’s employee stock option plan (ESOP) to both ensure the company’s success and the financial success of the employees. In addition to his outstanding service at Colgate, Ed also served on the board of directors of the National Association of Corporate Treasurers and on the editorial board of the Journal of Corporate Treasury Management.
Ed’s adopted home communities after retirement of Vero Beach, Florida, and Incline Village, Nevada, brought out his philanthropic values; he supported many local 501c3 organizations, especially in education, healthcare and the arts. He was a member of John’s Island Club in Vero Beach, where he enjoyed bridge, boating and croquet, and served on the club’s Racquets and Mallets committee for several years. He also served on the Seagrove West Homeowners’ Association as treasurer and vice-president.
In Tahoe, Ed loved to take advantage of all that the natural beauty of the area had to offer, skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer; he also was a member of the Sierra Angels, an investment and mentor group, the Eagle Club at Sierra Nevada University, and was a supporter of Incline Village Community Hospital and Classical Tahoe.
He was a passionate fan and longtime football season ticket holder of his beloved Notre Dame Fighting Irish and adored sharing the ND experience with friends and family. In his free time, Ed relished in a variety of science fiction and was fortunate to have had the opportunity to introduce Star Wars to his grandchildren, including sharing his meticulous Star Wars LEGO creations. His love of LEGOs and model trains lives on in his grandchildren. He cherished time with family and was an adoring grandfather; there is nothing that he would not do for his grandchildren.
Surviving are his wife Cathy Durrett-Filusch; his sons and daughters-in-law, Edward E. Filusch and Meghan Cullen, and Stephen and Stefanie Town; his daughter and son-in-law Elise and Michael Fenton; his grandchildren, Fiona Town, Teddy Filusch, Simon Town and Luke Filusch. Ed was preceded in death by his daughter Valerie Town.
Visitation was held July 26 at John F. Pfleger Funeral Home, Middletown. Burial was July 27 at Fair View Cemetery, Red Bank.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, you please consider a memorial gift in celebration of Ed’s life to Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s brain tumor research at medicine.givenow.columbia.edu or to the Ed and Cathy Filusch Scholarship, University of Notre Dame, c/o Chris Walsh, 1252 N. Eddy St., South Bend, IN 46617 or online at giveto.nd.edu.
The article originally appeared in the July 29 – August 4, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
