Walter "Ed" Ivins

Walter E. Ivins, age 93, of Aberdeen, Maryland, passed away on January 13, at the Hooper House in Forest Hill, after spending several days at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air.

Born on July 15, 1932, in Aldino, Maryland, he was the son of the late Leamer B. (Cooper) Ivins and the late Walter R. Ivins. Known to his close friends as “Ed,” he grew up in the small Aldino community he loved so much. At an early age, Ed began working on Jack Bailey’s vegetable and dairy farm across from his home, helping plant and harvest tomatoes for local canning companies. It was there that his lifelong appreciation for farm machinery began. Later, he assisted his stepfather, Edward Cooper, by working the fields when he began growing and selling vegetables at his roadside stand in Aldino.

Ed proudly served in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, entering service in 1951. After completing basic training at Sampson Air Force Base in New York, he was stationed at Miho Air Base in Japan, where he fueled bomber aircraft and transported airmen. He was honorably discharged in 1955. In 1956, Ed married the love of his life, Frances Horton, and together they shared 69 years of marriage.

Following his military service, Ed worked as a machinist at the Wiley Manufacturing Company shipyard in Port Deposit, Maryland, from 1955 until its closure in 1983, operating manual and automatic lathes and mills. During that time, he assisted in the fabrication of the Fort McHenry Tunnel in Baltimore, the shipyard’s final major project. He later continued his career with the federal government, working at Aberdeen Proving Ground and Edgewood Arsenal, where he operated CNC lathes and mills producing prototype models and limited-production parts for military equipment. He retired from federal service in 2002.

In retirement, Ed enjoyed spending quality time with Frances and taking many road trips with friends and family, though he never wished to be far from his home in Aldino. He had a deep love for vegetable gardening and was happiest working on his tractor, often using implements he built or modified himself. John Deere was his favorite brand of farm equipment, though he appreciated them all.

Ed was a lifelong member of Hopewell United Methodist Church in Level, Maryland.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 69 years, Frances F. Ivins (Horton); his son, Darryl W. Ivins; and his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Harry and Shirley Horton; Donald and Jane Horton; Linda and Hyland Tindall; Brenda and Jerry Dolly; Judy Leftwich and Robert Adams; Sharon Moxley and Paul Hopkins; and Sheila and James Wilson; and many nieces and nephews.