Edward Harry Friend

Edward Harry Friend, a ground-breaking actuary and a force in the public sector pension community, died Tuesday (March 5^th) of natural causes in Boca Raton, Fla. He was 90. He Founded Edward H. Friend and Co. in 1961, served as President of the Conference of Actuaries in Public Practice, and as a member of the Board of Governors for the Society of Actuaries. He was lauded as principal actuary for the Calif. Public Employee Retirement System, the New York Pension Commission, and for his overhaul of  the Mass. Teachers Retirement System. Altogether, his breadth of work aided millions of public employees throughout the country. A valedictorian and newspaper editor at East Orange (N.J.) High School, he attended Princeton University, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1950 with a degree in mathematics. He was a Lieutenant Jr. Grade in the US Navy serving in cryptanalytic endeavors in Washington, DC. Upon discharge, he began his decorated actuarial career serving as president of EHF and Co. until 1983 and then founding EFI Actuaries in January 1990. Friend is survived by his sister, Marion Merel, and her husband Leonard; his   4 children: Amy Friend Roberts, her husband David, their children, Lee and Camille; Robert Ballin Friend, his wife Maribel, their children, Alyssa, Brianna and Teddy; Thomas Harry Friend, his wife Robin, their children, Cole and Riley; Jennifer Friend-Kerr, her husband Martin, and their children, Wesley, Lily, and Holly. He is also survived by his first wife and the mother of his children, Patricia Montague Friend, his second wife Jane Bernstein Friend, and is predeceased by his third wife, Eleanor Ball Friend. A Memorial Service will be held in Washington DC this June 2019. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to the Annual Fund of The Rotary Foundation at www.rotary.org.