POLAND – Edward R. Heath Sr., 69, of Tripp Lake, Poland, passed away at his home Wednesday, March 9, surrounded by loved ones.

Born in Weld, Nov. 23, 1935, to Clinton and Hattie Heath, he attended Phillips High School, where he was a starting forward on the 1953 state championship basketball team.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1954, serving in France, Germany and Korea, and at various posts in the U.S., including duty with the First Armored Division during the Cuban Missile Crisis. While serving as a recruiter in Morehead, Ky., in 1967, he was severely injured when his Army vehicle was hit head-on by a civilian vehicle. He was hospitalized at Fort Knox, Ky., until June of 1968, and medically retired from the Army in Sept. 1968, due to his service-connected disabilities.

Following military retirement, he attended the University of Southern Maine through the VA’s vocational rehabilitation program, earning a bachelor’s degree with honors in 1972. After teaching school in Minot for two years, he returned to college, earning his law degree (cum laude) at the New England School of Law in Boston in 1978. Following several years of private law practice in Mechanic Falls, he accepted a position with the VA Board of Veterans Appeals in Washington, D.C., specializing in radiation exposure, prisoner of war and post traumatic stress disorder issues.

In 1989, he joined the Disabled American Veterans professional staff, assisting and representing cases for veterans to U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals. He served as counsel until retiring in 1996.

He was elected national fourth junior vice commander of the DAV in 1997, advancing through the chairs to the position of national commander in 2002.

He was a member of the DAV Chapter 11 of Lewiston, adjutant for the DAV for the State of Maine and a member of the American Legion Post 150 of Mechanic Falls.

He married Sylvia Livergood of Mechanic Falls on April 13, 1974. They celebrated 30 plus years and enjoyed every day of their lives with each other, and with their family and friends. He is survived by his wife, Sylvia; a brother, Kendall Heath of Phillips; seven children, Shane Heath of Acton, Laureen Heath of Lewiston, Jeri Heath of Poland, Janine Heath of St. Petersburg, Fla., Kevin Heath of St. Petersburg, Fla., Bonnie Howes of Mechanic Falls and Edward Heath Jr., of Mechanic Falls; 18 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. His grandson, Chad Heath, is now serving in Iraq.