Edward Cadia

Egidio “Edward” Cadia
December 5, 1939 - July 10, 2017

Egidio “Edward” Cadia passed away on July 10, 2017, at his home of 41 years in North Hollywood, California at the age of 77. Edward was an artist, a designer and builder of wood and ironwork, a welder and a mechanic.
Born Egidio Cadia in Zara, Italy (now Zadar, Croatia) in 1939, Egidio was the middle son of three brothers. His mother, Lydia Oliva, was Yugoslavian and his father, Giovanni, was Italian. They lived in Zara from 1939 to 1943. Giovanni, on leave from the Italian Army, died in a bomb attack in Zara in early 1943.
As a result, Lydia then took her sons and moved to Trieste, Italy. It was in Trieste that Lydia began helping Jews and others escape the Nazis. The Nazis became suspicious, and she realized that it was likely that she could be taken away to a concentration camp, along with her children, who she knew would not survive. So the boys were taken to an Italian orphanage in Treviso, Italy to keep them safe. Shortly after this time, Lydia was arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Ravensbruck and later, to Buckenwald Concentration Camps. Egidio, then four years old, did not see his mother again until he was 14.
Edward recalled his life in the orphanage: endless meals of rotten apples and squash slopped together to make soup; the feeling of always being hungry; the fear of bombs exploding overhead; toys made from sticks, stones, and branches. Yet, from these hardships emerged a creativity that he subsequently used to draw cartoons, paint, design, and build his own ironwork.
Finally, in 1945, Lydia was freed by Allied Forces. Her stay in the brutal camps lasted two years and five months. Edward was affected throughout his life by his years in the orphanage. Nietzsche said, “You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.” Edward’s dancing star was his humor that always seem to pop up at social occasions.
In 1947, Lydia married an American paratrooper and the couple moved to his hometown of Ravenna, Ohio, where Lydia became Lilly, and thereby began the long process of bringing her children to America. Finally, in 1953, after 10 years in the orphanage, Egidio and his brothers traveled by ship to the United States. During his time in Ravenna, Egidio (now Edward or Eddie) developed a passion for building and fixing up hot rods. As soon as he graduated in 1958, Edward moved to Los Angeles.
In February of 1973, Edward met Sharyn at Sarnos, an Italian restaurant in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, and they fell in love over café lattes and brioche. They were married in 1975 and settled in North Hollywood in 1976. They have been blessed with two beautiful children, Zara and Joshua, and two incredible grandchildren.
Edward was a simple, direct, down-to-earth man who was rugged, yet gentle with small animals and children. He was honest, solid with integrity and intensely loyal to his family and his work. Edward said what was on his mind and never cared for pretense or what other people thought. Above all else, Edward loved his family and was passionate about good food and wine (especially Italian). He was a man of God, who believed in the power of prayer and salvation and he cherished his well-worn Bible.
Edward is survived by: his wife of 42 years, Sharyn; his daughter Zara; his son Joshua and two grandchildren; his brother Tony; his nephew David; his niece Deneen; and his nephew John.