Edward "Ed" Michael Real, 76, of Spencer, WV formerly of Omaha, NE was born January 17, 1948 in Chicago, IL.

Our beloved husband, brother, grandfather, uncle, and friend, Ed Real passed away on August 25th, 2024. He is survived by his loving wife Joetta; stepson, Matt (Alicia) Clarkson; grandchildren, Dillon, Dalton, and Rhyannah Clarkson; sister, Mary (Paul) D'Angelo; brother, Jim (Sue) Real; sister-in-law, Barb (John) Real; his dog, Marley; and his many nieces and nephews who adored him and will miss him dearly.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents Virginia (Crocilla) Real and Joseph Real; brothers, Joseph and John; and stepson, Michael Clarkson.

Ed graduated from North High School in Omaha, Nebraska much to the relief of his parents and teachers. Following graduation, he was a mason for a short time before finding his forever job with Sherwin Williams/NAPA. It was through his work here that he learned to paint cars and he enjoyed it so much, he traveled to prisons and vocational schools to teach others the craft. As you can imagine, Ed could interact with and connect with just about any type of person, from and kind of background. He found a lot of joy sharing his craft with others and we have no doubt that he had the entire room laughing wherever he went.

His work at Sherwin Williams/NAPA took him to Chicago, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. It was in North Carolina he met his wife of 24 years, Joetta Clarkson. They quickly fell in love and eventually moved to Spencer, West Virgina to be closer to family.

Ed was a lover of life. He loved riding his motorcycle (fast) with his pal the stuffed monkey always strapped to the back of his bike, his 1963 split-window red corvette, Cousin Eddie, Margaritas, fishing, BBQ, trips to Myrtle Beach, all types of music and spending time with his grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Everyone loved Ed, especially the kids in the family. As you can imagine, he was a lot of fun to be around.

His family in Omaha loved his yearly visits back home where he and Aunt Jodi would wrestle with their nieces and nephews for hours on end. They laughed through merciless and unrelenting body-slams by the kids who loved to pretend they were jumping into a wrestling ring…right on top of their Aunt and Uncle.

Ed's sense of humor kept his family in stitches. He had a brutally honest assessment of life, but he was always able to find a way to make things funny. He could light up the darkest corners of a situation with humor, always when it was most needed. We learned over the years that Cousin Eddie quotes were one of his favorite tools for teaching important life lessons. It was a weirdly effective approach, especially with the younger members of the family who couldn't wait to hear the next thing their Uncle Ed might say. This is no small feat when it comes to young children listening to adults and Ed never had any trouble in this area.

Tremendous and heartfelt thanks go to his exceptional care teams at Spencer and Charleston Medical facilities. We are grateful to everyone who knew, loved and cared for Ed the way he did for all of us. And most importantly, we are grateful to have known a once-in-a-lifetime person that was Ed Real. ~Written by a loving niece.

Services will be 2:00 P.M. ~ Friday, August 30, 2024 at Taylor-Vandale Funeral Home with Rev. Ramababu Dakkamadugla "Father Rom" officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service on Friday at the funeral home. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.taylorvandalefuneralhome.com