Edward Dennis Earl

July 21, 1937 - April 6, 2022

Edward Dennis Earl was born July 21, 1937 in his grandfather’s farm house in the small town of Combs, Arkansas to Marjorie James and Irving Dennis Earl. His grandfather nicknamed him Bobby, but at his first job there were already two people named Bob, so they asked him to use his given name of Ed. From that point forward, family and friends called him Bob and his business colleagues called him Ed.

When he was four years old, Bob moved to California with his father and stepmother. In 1947, Bob’s parents purchased a new home in Lakewood. From there he attended Paramount High School and then Compton Junior College. He joined the Beta Phi fraternity and fell in love with his future bride, Joanne DiTolla who was in the Delta Kappa Phi sorority.

Joanne and Bob were married on Aug 29, 1959. Their first child, Maryann was born in 1961 in South Gate. In 1962, shortly before their son Eddie was born, they purchased their home in Northeast Downey, where they would remain until 2004.

After receiving his AA degree from Compton Junior College, Bob enrolled at Cal State Long Beach. For years he diligently attended night courses at CSLB, earning his degree in Business Administration with a major in marketing in 1971. Bob’s occupation during that time was outside industrial salesman for a small filter company in Long Beach.

By 1975, Bob had the ambition and determination to start his own company which he named Aqua Tec Filter Company. Under Bob’s leadership, the company experienced rapid growth as a distributor of industrial and water filtration products. Eleven years after starting the company, Bob built his own industrial building in Santa Fe Springs as the new headquarters for the company. Aqua Tec Filter continued to grow as a family-run business employing several family members including Joanne, Maryann, Eddie, Joanne’s sister and several nephews. The company continued to grow for another decade until Bob decided to sell the business in 1998.

Bob knew how to live life to the fullest. His positive attitude and boundless energy made him an outstanding father to his two children and a respected community leader with several Downey organizations.

Bob was a dedicated and active father participating in his children’s school events and guiding his family with his positive affirmations to success and his principles of healthy living. As Bob and Joanne’s family grew, they cherished gathering their children and grandchildren at their home in Palm Desert where many lifetime memories were created. Bob always said it was just about as fun watching your grandchildren grow as it was watching your own children. His grandchildren loved spending time with ‘Nonni and Papa’ as Bob and Joanne are affectionately called.

Last year, Bob and Joanne celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary, an extraordinary accomplishment and a testament to their commitment to each other and their family. While Bob’s love and commitment to his family was his greatest achievement, his generosity and concern for others made him a pillar of his community.

Bob was the longest standing Board member of the Downey Family YMCA with 50 years of continuous service. Through his decades-long annual campaign efforts, he was responsible for gifts to the YMCA of approximately a quarter million dollars. Bob’s service and dedication to the Downey Family YMCA has been recognized with several awards including the Red Triangle Award in 1988. In 2007 Bob was inscribed in the Golden Book of Distinguished Service of the Metropolitan Los Angeles YMCA, a rare honor reserved for exemplary service and dedication to the YMCA.

Bob joined Downey Los Amigos Kiwanis in the spring of 1977 and was elected Kiwanis President in October of 1986. He held many offices during his 45 years with the organization. For three years, he chaired the Pathfinder Leadership Conference which invites local high school students in their junior year for a leadership weekend seminar.

Bob also served for over five years on the Downey Community Hospital Board and most recently was a member of the Downey Coordinating Council.

Bob is survived by Joanne D Earl, his wife of almost 63 years: Maryann Costa, daughter and Ed Earl, son and Sue Eidson-Earl, daughter in law; Evan, Nicholas, Isabella and Erik, grandchildren; Ernie and Jim Earl, brothers; Beatrice Metz, Bonnie Cecil, Jackie Leutke, Jimmy Baker, Oneita Dick, half siblings.

Bob Earl will be remembered for his lifetime of loving commitment to his family and dedicated leadership to his community and his legacy will continue well into the future through all the lives he touched.