Date of Birth:
Thursday, July 30, 1964
Date of Death:
Friday, April 10, 2026
Age:
61 years old

Edward S. Capek

July 30, 1964 – April 10, 2026

Edward (Ed) Schommer Capek, 61, of Winona, MN, died unexpectedly during transport to Rochester, MN, for emergency medical care; his wife and transport driver, Molly, was by his side.

Ed was born on July 30, 1964 in Madison, WI, to Michael Joseph Capek and Patricia Barbara (Schommer) Capek, spent his infancy in their joint household, and later transitioned to spending school-year months or summer months in each individual household or step-parent-enhanced

household, as the households evolved. “Cousin times” on a family farm near Fountain, MN provided an anchor to the southeast MN area, character development in the form of real farm work, and adventure at the Fillmore County Fair-second only to the Minnesota State Fair itself.

As a child of sets of academically oriented and eclectic parents, Ed experienced travel and life in numerous university/professional communities, from Madison, WI, to Rochester and St. Paul, MN, to Princeton, NJ, and New York City, NY. In each setting, Ed availed himself of premier academic, athletic, and extracurricular opportunities, studying under such luminary teachers as Fred Carman (Latin, Princeton High School, NJ) and Frank Mccourt (Creative Writing, Stuyvesant High School, NY); he was also a member of the Stuyvesant High School gymnastics team, the New York Turnverein gymnastics club, and the barbershop quartet society SPEBSQSA. Ed graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1982, was accepted into and studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Electrical Engineering department, and appeared poised for a brilliant academic/technical career.

Ed, however, eventually chose the eclectic over the academic, and in 1989 joined the Rochester, MN, Fire Department, where he was promoted to Motor Operator in 1997, and from which he retired in 2009-with an abundance of practical mechanical, operational, and infrastructure knowledge, and a seemingly endless supply of stories both unusual and humorous.

In 2004, Ed married Molly Roeder of Rochester, MN, and, after raising generations of vegetable gardens and blended feline and canine families, rehabbed and sold their Rochester house, settling permanently in the Homer Valley area of Winona, MN, where they continued to raise generations of vegetable gardens and blended feline and canine families. Together they explored and photographically documented much of the unique architecture to be found in the Mississippi river towns of Wisconsin, Iowa, and southern Minnesota. Ed and Molly were also regular patrons and devotees of regional music festivals, with the Boats & Bluegrass Festival and Chickentown Music Festival (IA) being particular favorites.

During his time as a firefighter and continuing into retirement, Ed honed his skills as a carpenter, stonemason, and batik artist; and he leaves behind works stunning in their marriage of utility and artistry-including a native-stone Scenic Overlook wall at Eagle Bluff Learning Center (Lanesboro, MN), and batik painted T-shirts that capture the shimmer of Impressionist landscapes and stained-glass windows on cloth.

Ed was preceded in death by his mother, Patricia Capek, and father, Michael Capek. He is survived by

his beloved wife of 22 years (25 together) Molly Capek, brother, Charles (Kate) Capek of Schererville, IN; step-mothers Mary Ellen S. (Sue Hallgarth) Capek, of Corrales, NM, and Barbara L. Lindheim of New York City; and many cousins and loving friends.