14 Wednesday, April 3, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Obituary Ranger District to host open house Edward D. Helton June 19, 1945 — February 21, 2019 On February 21, 2019 a stroke felled Ed Helton and sent him on his eternal ride in the Crooked River National Grasslands very unexpectedly at age 73. I miss Ed Helton. I first met Ed through work developing standards for healthcare, where, with this calm but persistent approach, he always got the job done. Ed was a kind, thoughtful man, always willing to share his time, to really listen and to lend a hand. Ed believed in making our world a better place and was not afraid to be unpop- ular to do the right thing, which he did several times in his career in positions at NCI for standards develop- ment, at FDA in drug safety, in academia and the pharma- ceutical industry. Ed was a captivating storyteller, always looking for the perfect audience. He would talk proudly about having served two tours during the Vietnam War as Army Captain and Director of the Clinical Investigation Laboratory at Brooks Army Medical Center, for which he earned the Meritorious Service Medal. I admired him for the good things he quietly achieved for man- kind, like getting lifesaving drugs approved by FDA, or removing dangerous ones from the market, but it was his crazy horse stories and tales of nature9s beauty which touched my heart. Ed clearly loved living life. Ed adored his children and grandchildren and spent a great deal of time ensur- ing they were taken care of while he was alive, and even in death. Ed always dreamt of hav- ing a simpler life that would allow him to focus on the things that mattered to him, and he found that in Sisters. Here, Ed was able to be close to his son and grandsons, which allowed him to share with them his passion for the outdoors. Ed did appreciate the natural beauty of the high plateau and the unfenced land, so he could ride his horse, Pacific Fritz. And Ed liked the people here, who are