Edward Douglas Durkin, a lifelong Madison resident, died Friday, Oct. 27, 2017, at age 88 after a rewarding life personally and professionally. He was born July 4, 1929, in Madison to Edward P. and Ursula (Fischenich) Durkin. He married Winifred A. Frank on May 24, 1952, and they had six children. Ed attended Highlands-Mendota Beach School (Crestwood) and Madison West High School before enlisting in the U.S. Army on Oct. 6, 1946, at age 17. He was stationed in Japan as part of the United States' post-World War II occupation force, and received his honorable discharge in March 1948. After returning home and earning his GED, Ed majored in accounting at Madison Business College. He also served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve from 1962 to 1969 as a chief petty officer, specializing in firefighting and damage control. Ed joined the Madison Fire Department on Jan. 1, 1951. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1962, captain in 1964, and chief in 1979. He was a proud union member of Firefighters Local 311, and was elected its vice president in 1958 and president in 1961. Ed's most challenging time as Local 311 president was 1969, starting with a wage dispute in which Madison's 250 firefighters went on strike for three days. Ed later said the strike succeeded because only two emergency calls came in those three days: one car fire and one overheated clothes drier. He knew all Local 311 members would have returned to work immediately had a major fire broken out. About a month later, in early May, Ed worked with University of Wisconsin student leaders to prevent rioting over the Vietnam War. He had credibility with UW students because he said Madison firefighters would never turn fire hoses on protesters to halt anti-war demonstrations. Also, at his direction, Local 311 bailed out then student-activist and Alderman Paul Soglin after he was arrested May 3, 1969, during a riot. Ed persuaded student leaders to hold their Mifflin Street block party May 10 at his family's home and four acres on Madison's west side. City buses shuttled hundreds of students to Ed's home. The event made national news on CBS TV and Page 1 of the New York Times. The Times' headline read: "A Party in Madison: Peace Breaks Out." Ed stepped down as Local 311 president in summer 1969 after being elected a vice president in the International Association of Firefighters; and represented union members in the IAFF's 5th District (Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota) through 1978. He also served as president of Wisconsin's firefighter unions in 1972 and 1973. As state president, Ed's proudest accomplishment was persuading Gov. Pat Lucey and legislators to pass a statute for "final offer binding arbitration," a concept he studied in 1970 during a three-month program at the Harvard Graduate School of Business. Ed took a one-year leave of absence from the Madison Fire Department in 1978 to serve on Wisconsin's new Personnel Commission. In 1979 he applied to become Madison's fire chief. He served as chief from August 1979 until March 1985. During his time as fire chief, Ed hired Madison's first female firefighters, and instituted the department's first physical fitness program. He also took pride in reducing Madison's fire losses every year he was chief, from a little over $3 million in 1979 to less than $1 million in1984. While chief, Ed made his first of many trips to the Soviet Union in hopes of building and restoring friendships between the two nations. In June 1982, seven years before the Berlin Wall fell, Ed was part of a seven-member Wisconsin delegation that included state Sen. Fred Risser and state treasurer Charles P. Smith for an eight-day visit. After retiring as fire chief, Ed worked with Madison's Link Friendship House and the Soviet-American Friendship Society. For the next 15 years, he led many tour groups of 40 to 50 people to Russia, Poland, China, Vietnam and Cuba through 2002. Through all those years of work and travel, Ed still found time for his family, and fishing, gardening and canning at the home he and Winnie own on Lake Poygan, west of Winneconne. He also loved golfing, and celebrating his birthday by barbecuing ribs for his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren each July Fourth at Poygan. He also attended and videotaped the high school graduations of all his grandchildren, and took many of them to Packer and Badger games. Ed is survived by Winnie, his wife of 65 years; his children, Anne; Joseph (Kim), Patrick (Penny), Terrance, Thomas (Megan) and Jacalyn (Jim); 12 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Donald and Joseph Terrance; and sister Mary Patricia. Ed's family is planning a visitation and Irish wake Friday afternoon at The East Side Club, 3735 Monona Drive, Madison, WI 3714. His family will greet guests from noon to 1:30 p.m., when a celebration of Ed's life will begin with an invocation, a procession by the Firefighters Local 311 Pipes & Drums, a last salute from the Madison City Fire and Police Honor Guard, and a 21-gun salute and Taps by Madison's VFW Honor Guard. The ceremony will be followed immediately by a eulogy and tributes from family and friends. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Rotary International, https://www.rotary.org/en/donate; and the Wisconsin Network for Peace & Justice, http://www.wnpj.org/Donate-Join. If you wish please submit online condolences to muellerfuneralhomeinc.com.