SWEENEY, EDWARD JOHN

SWEENEY, EDWARD JOHN Edward John Sweeney, 81 of Fort Myers, FL and formerly of Cape May Court House, NJ – died on January 21, 2024, at the Mt. Sinai Hospital in Miami, Florida, after a brief episode from kidney and heart failure. Eddie, as he was known, was born January 11, 1943, in Philadelphia, PA, to John and Anna (O'Connor) Sweeney, joining 3 brothers, as their fourth and last child. Eddie, like two other brothers, attended St. Joseph's Prep (class of 1960) and then graduated 4 years later from St. Jospeh's College (class of 1964). Ed was preceded in death by his parents, and two of his beloved brothers, Jack and Chick and his dearly loved wife, Marilyn. He is survived by his brother Patrick, 'stepdaughter' Karen Biederman, 'stepson' Michael Conway, 4 daughters, and many loving nieces, nephews and cousins. In his final days Eddie was attended to by stepdaughter Karen Biederman and her triplet daughters (Eddie's three beloved grand-daughters): Julianna, Alexandra and Veronica, who followed their grandmother Marilyn into the nursing profession. All are employed by Mt. Sinai Medical Center. They and the entire Sweeney family wish to thank the hospital staff, especially the ICU unit, for their generous support and care of Eddie during his final days there. Eddie was a man of many interests with an inquisitive nature, love of learning and delight in meeting new people. This outgoing nature is best illustrated by his volunteer work as an assistant rowing coach with Chuck Crawford for "The Prep" during the seasons of 1978-1985. As a coach working primarily with the novices and JV team, many young men were inspired and matured under the influence of Coach Sweeney. The Prep's storied rowing team of 1980 won the Philadelphia City Champ-ionship, qualifying them for participation in the renowned Henley rowing meet in Henley, England. This rowing achievement, for Eddie, gave joy second only to watching his granddaughter, Veronica, row with the Barry University Championship team of 2016. Before settling into his last and most loved career as secondary educator and classroom Spanish teacher at Cape May County Tech High School and Commercial Township, Eddie worked in Insurance Sales and residential construct-ion, building a few homes in the eighties in Stone Harbor and Avalon, NJ. After their retirements, Marily and 'her Eddie' moved to Ft. Meyers, FL, becoming permanent ''snowbirds." A Memorial Mass will be celebrated for Eddie on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at Our Lady of the Angels Church, 35 East Mechanic Street, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210. Visitation will be from 10-11 AM, with Mass beginning at 11 o'clock. In closing, let it be written: "sic transit gloria mundi". Condolences at www.radzieta.com