Ed was born on Thursday, January 19, 1956, in West Point, Georgia. He lived his life in the LaGrange – West Point area. Throughout his life he worked as a construction worker, asphalt paver and handyman. He loved dogs and hunting.

Survivors include his fiancée, Gina Brooks; his son Jesse Rogers of Auburn; his stepdaughter, Michelle (Neil) Cole of Opelika; stepson Matthew (Samantha) Rogers of Cusseta, Alabama; his grandchildren, Jasper, Jaxon, Hannah, Levi, Mason and Savannah; his brothers and sisters, O’Neil Hand, Shirley Gough of LaGrange, Dennis (Barbara) Hand of West Point, Wesley (Sheila) Hand of LaGrange, and James (Mariah) Hand of Roanoke. He is preceded in death by his mother and father, Mary Rebecca and Vernon Harvey Hand and his sister, Patricia Bridges.