Former school board president, a supervisor in two townships and chairman of the Chadds Ford Township Zoning Hearing Board Ed Wandersee died Monday, Aug. 27 of congestive heart failure. In addition to government service, Wandersee was also a longtime active member and president of the Chadds Ford Historical Society.
He would have been 85 this coming Sept. 15. He is survived by his wife, Kathy Wandersee, four daughters and several grandchildren.
Ed Wandersee served for more than 30 years in service to the community, in both governmental and nongovernmental capacity, but resigned from governmental activity when he and Kathy moved to Penn Township in 2009.
His impact on Chadds Ford Township was strong, according to those who served with him. Former Chadds Ford Supervisor Deborah Love is one of those people.
“Ed was quite a gentleman. I am honored to have worked with him as a Unionville-Chadds Ford school board member and Chadds Ford Township Zoning Hearing Board chairman. His decisions were always well thought out and most importantly fair. Our community felt the loss when he moved out of Chadds Ford, but his positive impact will always be felt. Thank you, Ed,” she said in an email after learning of his passing.
George Thorpe, another former supervisor who dealt with Wandersee also recalls his positive approach.
“He was a tireless volunteer in all capacities in which he served. He was a thoughtful contributor to all projects, keeping the good of all residents in mind as the basis for his decisions. He felt it necessary to think about that good for everybody, not just some,” Thorpe said. “We’ve lost that today.”
Bob Reardon served with Wandersee on the Chadds Ford Zoning Hearing Board. He said Wandersee was “a consummate gentleman who provided good leadership. He truly cared about the community and always acted on principle.”
Kathy Howley said Wandersee was instrumental in helping her develop as the township manager in Pennsbury when he was a supervisor there in 1978.
“He taught me how to write minutes. He was a stickler who taught me to be concise. If I didn’t do it right, he would redo them,” she said.
While that didn’t go down well in the beginning, Howley said she learned to appreciate Wandersee and the good relationship that developed. That relationship carried over into personal friendship with both Ed and his wife to the point where Kathy Wandersee convinced Howley to be a volunteer at the Chadds Ford Historical Society. The two Kathys even co-chaired a Chadds Ford Days.
In addition to being a supervisor in two townships and on the ZHB in Chadds Ford, Wandersee also served on the Unionville-Chadds Ford School. His colleague other board, Timotha Trigg, also said he’ll be missed.
“Ed was a dedicated community volunteer who served as president of the school board for a number of years, chaired the Zoning Hearing Board here in Chadds Ford, served as chairman of the Pennsbury Township Board of Supervisors for eight years and president of the Chadds Ford Historical Society for five years. I remember someone pointing to a small figure in one of Paul Scarborough's paintings and saying, ‘That's Ed.’ You know you're a fixture of the community when you show up in a Scarborough painting. Ed was a natural leader and a very decent man. He will be missed,” she said.
Trigg added that Wandersee’s dedication to education went beyond the bureaucracy of the school board.
“Ed was known for dressing up as John Chad, which really demonstrated his passion for education in general and his interest in increasing the awareness of our local history,” she said. “When he visited Chadds Ford Elementary in his John Chad attire, it really brought the John Chad story to life.”
Superintendent of Schools John Sanville also has good memories of Wandersee.
"We are saddened to learn of the passing of Ed Wandersee. He will be remembered for the statesmanlike manner in which he conducted himself as a board member and president. He was a tireless advocate for our community and U-CF. He will be missed."
Kathy Wandersee said the burial will be private with local family members. A graveside ceremony is planned for October when out of town relatives can attend.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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