Edward Richard "Ed" Semmler

Edward Richard “Ed” Semmler relished sharing stories, but what he loved most was spending time with family and friends. That was where he found his greatest joy—whether spinning a memorable tale or settling into a heartfelt conversation.

Ed passed away on the afternoon of January 2, 2026, at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center at the age of 69. He developed pneumonia, which led to cardiac arrest, and complications ultimately took him from those who loved him.

For Ed, family was everything. He shared more than 43 wonderful years of marriage with his wife, Deborah. Together they raised two children, Kurt Semmler and Kate Dippold, both married, and were the proud grandparents of two grandchildren—Kate’s children—whom Ed adored. While he was widely known for a journalism career spanning four decades at daily newspapers in South Bend, Indiana, and Canton, Ohio, his favorite stories were always the ones he lived as a husband, father, grandfather (“Opa”), brother, and son growing up in Ohio.

Born June 27, 1956, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Ed was the youngest of five children. He was raised in a humble neighborhood near the Ohio River, where his mother, Hedwig Bibiana (Werle) Semmler, instilled in him a deep curiosity about the world, the importance of education, and a strong Roman Catholic faith. Ed lost his father, Albert Karl Semmler, at a very young age, an experience that shaped both his resilience and empathy.

Ed was passionate, direct, and deeply engaging. He valued education, learning, and faith, and he relished thoughtful conversation. If you wanted to discuss journalism, business, economics, literature, current events, music, travel, or the community, Ed was always ready to dive in—with a lively blend of insight, opinion, humor, and warmth.

Nothing was off-limits when it came to conversation. Whether fact or fiction, history or folklore, belief or wild theory, Ed loved to question, explore, exchange ideas, and debate.

He held a special fascination with the mysteries surrounding Sasquatch—Bigfoot, Yeti, and Dogman. A devoted listener of The Sasquatch Chronicles, he ranked in the top one percent of listeners on Spotify. To Ed, there was no doubt these creatures were real.

Ed graduated from La Salle High School in Cincinnati, an all-male Catholic school, in 1975. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature with a journalism writing certificate from the University of Cincinnati, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1979. He later completed a Master of Arts degree in journalism at The Ohio State University in 1982.

While finishing his degree at the University of Cincinnati, Ed met the true love of his life, Deborah Lynne Souza. They were married on March 13, 1982, while Ed was completing his master’s program and working as a graduate assistant.

That summer, the newlyweds moved to Canton, Ohio, where Ed joined The Canton Repository as a staff writer and Debbi began a career in labor relations. Canton would remain their home for the next 17 years as they built their life together and raised their growing family.

At The Repository, Ed spent 12 years as a staff and business writer, followed by five years as business editor. In July 1999, he was recruited by The South Bend Tribune to serve as assistant business editor, prompting a move to Granger, Indiana. Just eight months later, in March 2000, Ed was named business editor of The Tribune and later Tribune Business Weekly.

During his tenure, Ed led coverage of business, economic development, retail, healthcare, and hospitality throughout Michiana. He also authored the weekly column The Bottom Line. Under his leadership, The Tribune earned numerous honors, including best business section and writing awards from the Hoosier State Press Association, as well as recognition from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW).

Fueled by an endless curiosity, Ed believed business and economics were simply another way of telling the stories of our neighbors. Whether covering a social services crisis unit, a new Cinnabon at University Park Mall, the 50th anniversary of Redamak’s in New Buffalo, the economic impact of University of Notre Dame football, or an $11 billion Amazon data center project, he had a rare gift for making every subject feel personal and meaningful.

Ed stepped down as business editor in July 2017 but continued working part-time at The Tribune, covering business, economic development, and general assignment stories. After briefly retiring, he was happily coaxed back—retiring for a second and final time in September 2025.

Going part-time allowed Ed to devote more time to what mattered most: Debbi, their children, grandchildren, and extended family. He especially cherished time with son Kurt and his wife, Britney, in Napa, California, and daughter Kate, her husband Luke, and their children, Cooper and Lucy, in Fort Wayne. Ed spoke endlessly—and proudly—about his family; they were truly his greatest joy.

Debbi, who retired from teaching science at St. Joseph High School in South Bend, and Ed shared a deep love of travel. For 15 years, they made annual trips to Maine to visit Debbi's parents, where Ed grew to love life on the water and learned to sail. They also enjoyed many family trips to Alabama, the Carolinas, and the Smoky Mountains.

More recently, Ed and Deb explored nearby Michigan towns, sampling craft beers, wines, and the outdoors—a pursuit enhanced when Debbi took a part-time job at Lemon Creek Winery in southwest Michigan. Ed was a devoted India Pale Ale or IPA beer aficionado.

Together, they also loved traveling to southern Ontario to enjoy the northern shore of Lake Erie. One of their most memorable recent trips was traveling to Italy this past October for Kurt’s wedding.

Ed took immense pride in maintaining a pristine yard—so much so that neighbors often found him caring for theirs as well. In the past year, he embraced walking every day, averaging more than 4.2 miles a day.

He shared a particularly special bond with his grandson, Cooper. Though Cooper was originally meant to carry Ed’s name as his middle name, Ed encouraged Kate to choose something “more cool.” Cooper’s middle name became “Cash,” in honor of Johnny Cash—one of Ed’s all-time favorite musicians. His musical tastes were wide-ranging, spanning from The Clash and the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Nirvana.

Above all, Ed was a master storyteller. Whether recounting tales of family, colleagues, travels, or the countless stories he encountered as a journalist, he always had a remarkable yarn to spin—one that left people listening, laughing, and feeling more connected.

As one former co-worker Ed mentored at The Tribune so perfectly put it: “Legends never die. He’ll live on with every pint, a nice red wine, and any time someone utters the word ‘douchebag.’”

In addition to his wife, Debbi; their two children and spouses; and their two grandchildren, Ed is survived by his sister, Hedwig (Tom) Goetz of Columbus, Ohio; and two brothers, Erich Semmler of Cincinnati, and Karl Semmler of Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents and by his oldest brother, Albert Semmler.

Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. on January 16, 2026, at St. Hedwig Church, 331 S. Scott Street, South Bend. A celebration of life will follow at South Bend Brew Werks, 321 S. Main Street.

Ed was a storyteller—so come tell your stories. Bonus points for writing them down for us to cherish. If you’d like to share a story in writing, please send it to katebdippold@gmail.com. And, of course, raise a toast to the amazing, interesting life he lived—preferably with his favorite, Stargazer IPA.

Memorials can be directed to Kaniewski Funeral Home at 3545 N Bendix Dr. South Bend, IN 46628.

Link for South Bend Tribune Article: https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/local/2026/01/08/former-south-bend-tribune-editor-reporter-ed-semmler-dies/88054067007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z116730p004350c004350d00----v116730d--32--b--32--&gca-ft=145&gca-ds=sophi

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