Obituary: Edward T. Vallis

Edward T. Vallis, 81 
Edward T. Vallis (aka “Big Ed”), formerly of Hull and a resident of Gulfport, Fla., died Feb. 4. He was 81.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Linda Vallis; two daughters, Jody Bowen and her husband, Robert Bowen, of Sebastian, Fla., and Amy Largy and her husband, Patrick Largy, of Tiverton, R.I.; and his three adoring grandsons, Ryan Bowen and Jackson and James Largy. He also leaves two sisters, Alice Whelan, of Hull, and Marion LaPierre, of Gulfport, Fla.; and 15 nieces and nephews.
Edward grew up in the Boston neighborhood of Roxbury. He loved the city as a child, shining shoes in Scollay Square at the age of 10 and following “Louie the Ragman” around, collecting junk, which led to his love of antiquing, coin collecting, and metal detecting at the beach.
He was a hard worker and supported his family as a cement finisher by trade. He started his own rust- proofing, steam-cleaning, and upholstery business, called Power Clean Corp. He later worked at the Plymouth Nuclear Power Plant and was a member of the International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local No. 3. He ended his career with Crystal Clear Pools as a job foreman before his retirement.
Ed loved traveling: vacations to Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Puerto Rico (Vieques), and Las Vegas. He always wanted to go to Alaska. His last vacation was in December 2019, a memorable family Christmas holiday cruise to the Caribbean. 
As Edward’s health was declining, he slowly stayed in more than he went out but enjoyed his Netflix and TV shows: “American Pickers,” “Pawn Stars,” and “Jeopardy.” One thing he loved was his Bad Apple hat, and he loved telling people that he paid only 50 cents for it!  
He was well taken care of by his loving wife until the end and had the love and support of his daughters. Those who truly knew Ed knew that under that rough exterior was a very big heart. He will surely be missed.
Edward recently told his wife that he wanted to go back to Hull; he missed the salt air. He chose to be cremated. There will be no immediate services, but there will be a time at a future date to celebrate Ed’s life, with his family and friends, and to bring him home to the salt air.