Joseph Edward ("Ed") Dempsey (86) of Plano passed away March 4, 2017. Ed was born on February 18, 1931 in Atlanta, Georgia to Clyde Dewey Dempsey and Myrtle Naomi Dempsey. Ed graduated from Ft. Lauderdale High School in 1949, and later served in the National Guard and four years in the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed in Tachikawa, Japan during the Korean War, held the rank of Staff Sargent, and worked with a team that constructed ground control approach radar systems used for landing aircraft. After returning to the U.S., Ed worked briefly for Texas Instruments before joining the Dallas Fire Department in 1957, where he served proudly as a Dallas Firefighter for almost 25 years before retiring in 1981. Ed was an extraordinarily kind, funny, intelligent and gifted man, a devoted husband, and an unsurpassed father, grandfather and great grandfather. Ed was preceded in death by his parents; his daughter, Sharron Gay Dempsey-Sorsby; his brother, Clyde Dempsey; his sisters, Jean Slaughter, Jane Abbott, Connie Mills, and Louise Colquitt. He is survived by his wife Sharon, to whom he was married 48 years; his children, Mark Dempsey and Laura Jennings; his grandchildren, Tiffany Vance, Jennifer Sorsby, Jonathan Dempsey, Katherine Sharron Dempsey, and Sarah Jennings; and his great grandchildren, Ashley and Michael Dolce, Lacey Vance, Kaitlyn Edmonds, and Journey Wade; his sisters, Joy Cook and Louise Roberts, as well as nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family and friends, who loved and adored him, are grateful for the privilege of having shared his life, and will miss him greatly. Arrangements are under the direction of ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road Dallas, Texas 75252 214-306-6700