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Edward Thomas Curran, 77, a resident of Goodyear, AZ, and former resident of Albuquerque, NM, died Monday, April 17, 2006. Ed was born in Kokomo, IN, on September 24, 1928, and spent his early childhood in Indiana. A few years after the death of his beloved mother, the family moved to Texas, where he attended the Corpus Christi College Academy and excelled as a football and basketball player. After high school, Ed joined the U.S. Army and spent most of his military tour in Germany and Austria, playing trombone in the 49th Army band. He then enrolled in college on the GI Bill and graduated from North Texas State College. While working in Corpus Christi as a young professional in the insurance industry, he met and married Barbara Ann O'Brien. Ed moved his family to Dallas, TX, then to Albuquerque in 1963. At the age of 38, Ed embarked on a career change and enrolled in law school. He graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law and became a partner in the law firm of Menig, Sager, Curran and Sturges. He served as school board president for St. Pius X High School and on the board of directors of the Albuquerque Boys Club, and was a member of the Optimist Club for many years. Upon retirement in 1993, Ed and Barbara moved to the Pebble Creek community in Goodyear, AZ. He served as a pro bono legal consultant to the City of Goodyear and was active in St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus. He also served as president of the White Tanks Rotary Club and as an assistant district governor for that organization. In 2005, he was honored with the Rotary Club's District 5490 Governor's Centennial Leadership Achievement Award. As a polio survivor, Ed was gratified to have the opportunity to take part in Rotary International's program of distributing polio vaccine to children in developing countries. He and a team traveled into remote areas of Ghana and Mexico to distribute the vaccine to the children there. Ed's biggest passion was Notre Dame football, and if there is a way to watch the games from heaven, he will find it! Ed is survived by his wife, Barbara of Goodyear; son, Jim of Sacramento, CA; daughters, Mary Colleen of Las Vegas, NV and Tracy Jonsson of Scottsdale, AZ; son-in-law, Stefan Jonsson; and grandchildren, Michael, Matthew, Annika, Alexandra, Christina, and Michaela. He is also survived by sisters, Anne Vorobiov, Marjorie Low, and Janet Gard; brothers, John and Patrick; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother, Fr. Robert Curran, and his sister, Kathleen O'Neill. A Memorial Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday, April 24, 2006 at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 13720 West Thomas Road, Avondale, AZ. Donations may be made to Hospice of the Valley, 5111 North Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85250.
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