Edward P. Stanton, Hermitage, passed away at 9:43 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at Tampa General Hospital.  He was 79.

Mr. Stanton was born June 10, 1943, in Sharon, the oldest child of the late Edward and Mary Lally Stanton.

A Shenango Valley resident his entire life, he graduated in 1961 from Sharpsville High School and, later, from Youngstown State University with a degree in Criminal Justice.

A Vietnam War Veteran, Edward honorably served in the United States Navy as a radar operator aboard the destroyer, USS Furse, where he traveled the world with his lifelong buddy, Ed Williams.

In 1972, he married the love of his life, Linda J. Misik.  They were married for 40 years until her death in 2012.

He was hired as a patrolman for the former Hickory Township Police Department in 1971 and worked for 34 years, ultimately rising to become Chief of Police of the Hermitage Police Department.  He retired in 2005 and spent several years working as a court crier for the Mercer County Court of Common Pleas.

He was a founding member of the Church of Notre Dame, the Hermitage FOP, Lodge 82, and the Sharpsville Service Club.

Ed's greatest joy was spending time with his children and his grandsons.  An avid golfer, Ed could almost always be found on the golf course with his crew of buddies: Augie, Joe, Meats, and Ocky.  A fan of all things Irish: he loved Notre Dame football, a pint (or two) of Guinness, and traveling to Ireland with his family and his friend, Rae Wooten, Charleston, South Carolina.

Surviving are: a son, Michael E. Stanton and his wife Shauna, Richmond, Virginia; a daughter, Meg E. (Stanton) Sweet and her husband, Benjamin, Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania; three grandsons, Andrew Stanton and Conner Stanton, Richmond and Samuel Sweet, Mount Lebanon; a sister Sarah (Stanton) and Cortland McKee, Naples, Florida; a brother, John and Lois Stanton, Hermitage; a sister, Mary Kay (Stanton) and Anthony Lufrano, Northridge, California; lifelong friends who became his family, Saul and Bonni DePofi, Naples, Florida; and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents and wife, Ed was preceded in death by his nephew, Matthew Lufrano.

The family requests memorial contributions be made to Buhl Park, 715 Hazen Rd., Hermitage, PA 16148.

Calling hours will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Friday April 14, 2023, in J. Bradley McGonigle Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 1090 E. State St., Sharon. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.McGonigleFuneralHomeandCrematory.com .

Mass of Christian Burial will be 12:30 p.m. Friday, April 14, 2023, in the Church of Notre Dame, 2325 Highland Rd., Hermitage, with Rev. Richard Allen, as celebrant.

Entombment: St. Rose Mausoleum, Hermitage.