He served two tours in Vietnam after joining the army in 1961. During that time, he started corresponding with a cute little red headed teacher in Lubbock (Sarah Beth McDougal). He proposed to her during a visit home during his first tour. They married on January 14, 1967. They raised their three daughters while he continued his military service in many places, both in the continental US and various stations in Europe.
During his military service he was awarded Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf, Air Medal Commendation with 16 oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, Valorous Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Bronze Star, and was a master aviator. After honorably retiring in 1984, he continued to serve his country working as a civil servant training pilots at Ft. Hood until he retired in 2002.
He and Beth were very active in the life of Grace United Methodist Church, where they were part of an Emmaus group. They received the Louis Behrens Churchmanship Award together, the only couple to receive it together. He was a voracious reader and loved to talk about history. Despite his military achievements, he was most proud of the family they created together and his service to the church.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years and is survived by their three daughters and their families, Melanie and Curtis Scales and their sons Wesley and William Scales and William’s wife Kayla; Melissa Brunner and her children Bailey and Caleb Brunner; Georgia and Geoffrey Sanders…and their granddogs and great granddogs.
A Funeral Service for Edward will be held at 1pm on Tuesday December 17th at Grace United Methodist Church, 101 East Avenue D, Copperas Cove, followed by burial at Central Texas Veterans Cemetery in Killeen. Services have been entrusted to Crawford Bowers Funeral Home of Copperas Cove.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Grace United Methodist Church.
