Coast Guard suspends search for missing Steinhatchee man, volunteers press on

Posted on June 8, 2016

Co-workers often know a person best, given the hours spent together–especially when you share an office.

“Our desks faced each other at work. Over our monitors, I could see his face from the eyebrows up. He could see only the top of my head. And we talked constantly each day. One day I said we should re-arrange our desks so we could see each other when we talk. Eddie replied, ‘No, it’s so much more fun this way. Besides, I have to hear you talk all day, not sure I want to have to look at you too.’ Then we busted out laughing. I knew he was joking, he knew he was joking. It was things like that that made us laugh so much. Such a pleasure to have someone who knew he could say something like that to me and we would both laugh about it,” Linda Conley said, speaking of fellow Chemring employee Edward “Eddie” Viola.

The 54-year-old Steinhatchee resident has been missing on the Gulf since Sunday, May 29. The U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search for him Friday night, June 3, after covering 2,321 square nautical miles during 24 searches for more than 62 hours.

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