May 16, 1927 – April 29, 2026
Edward Milo Irvin passed away peacefully April 29 among family and redwoods in Santa Cruz, California. Ed called Los Altos home for over 60 years and was featured in “Every Wrinkle Tells a Story”.
Ed grew up in Big Run, PA, along with 8 siblings. Following high school at Mercersburg Academy, he. entered the U.S. Army Air Force. During his tenure in the service, he assisted with Europe’s Reconstruction. After serving the country, Ed attended Princeton University on the GI bill, graduating in 1951 with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. During that time, he met and fell in love with Barbara Rhodes, from Punxsutawney, PA. He and Barbara were married in 1951. (They remained together for 49 years until Barbara passed away in 2000.)
Living in the Philadelphia area, Ed and Barbara raised two young girls, Bari and Cathy. Ed’s first job in those days was with the Vertol helicopter company. He subsequently was offered a job with Lockheed Space Systems in Sunnyvale, California. He, Barbara, Bari, Cathy, and soon to be born Ed Irvin, Jr, made the cross country move to the Santa Clara Valley in California in 1958, where Ed went to work with Lockheed. He remained with Lockheed all of his working life. Among the noteworthy projects Ed worked on during his time there was to assist with the development of submarine launched nuclear missiles. This was during the time of the Cold War and the philosophy of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), so for Ed – a non-violent man – it was work done as a necessary step to preserve worldwide peace.
Following his retirement from Lockheed in 1995, and the passing of his beloved wife, Barbara, Ed kept busy hiking, baking, helping family and friends, reading histories of presidents, sitting in the afternoon sun by the pool, and participating in the activities of the Mid-Peninsula Widows and Widowers organization. (WW) It was at WW that Ed had the good fortune to meet Celia (Cee) Staufenbiel and find new love and happiness with a partner for the second time in life. Sadly, he lost Cee to illness, but had built a rich relationship with her family that lasted to his final days. Over time, Ed had – incredibly — a third opportunity for love with a woman he had also come to know through the Widows and Widowers organization, Susan (Sue) Shumann. He and Sue spent over 10 joyful years together as partners until Sue passed away. Ed developed friendships with Sue’s extended family, friendships that remained strong to his dying day.
Ed Irvin was an astounding man. If you knew him, you loved him. He was always willing to lift a hand to help others. He was always on the look-out for how others were doing. He was as intelligent as you would hope any human being could be, and he used his intelligence well – to build a life of joy and friends and good works. He was an excellent athlete, as sports records from his Princeton era testify to. He could repair just about anything. And he had a great sense of humor. Truly, he will be deeply missed. Ed leaves behind three children, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
