Edward John Walczak was born in New Jersey on August 20, 1938. Shortly thereafter his family moved to Louisville, KY, where Ed graduated from St. Xavier High School. In addition to Army football, the Kentucky Derby was Ed’s favorite sporting event. Even as a cadet, Ed found the time “to make it interesting and easy” for cadets to pick their choices for the big race. After graduation he attended the Armor branch school’s basic course; he then was assigned to an Armor unit at Fort Knox. A year-and-a-half later, he received orders for assignment to the 1st Special Forces Group in Okinawa. In 1963, he was sent to the South Vietnam highlands to train the Montagnards. Following his mission in country, he taught in the counter-insurgency warfare school in Okinawa. Afterwards, he took a well-deserved tour of Tokyo, Bangkok, and Hong Kong. In December 1963, he left active duty and returned to Louisville. Ed’s dad died shortly after his return from Vietnam. He remained a loving and devoted son to his mom until her death in June 1977.
After leaving the service, Ed spent three years in real estate and then owned and operated a construction company for four years. He was then employed by Chesapeake Engineering on construction projects in the Washington, DC area. Over the years Ed attended graduate studies at Catholic University and obtained a master’s degree in civil engineering in 1982.
In 1974 he met Kathleen Kearney, a red-headed nurse. They were married on June 7, 1975 with his Company M-2 plebe roommates, John Denton and Gerry Chapman, in the wedding party. He and Kathleen settled near Annapolis, and both enjoyed the area. Ed was active in their community association and church, working with the poor and mentally challenged. He and Kathleen always celebrated “Derby Day” and attended the event a few times at Churchill Downs. Ed enjoyed playing in club tennis tournaments and singing old country songs. All his M-2 classmates can attest that even as a cadet Ed listened to loud Grand Ole Opry music on the radio before breakfast.
Two weeks before the 25th West Point Class of 1960 reunion in 1985, his daughter Mary Katherine entered into the family thanks to what Ed described as the “circling stork.” Over the next five years Ed, Kathleen, and Mary Katherine enjoyed attending West Point football games and other functions with Ed’s classmates. On family auto trips, Ed was renowned for his “forward ho” pronouncement to get all in the household moving. In 1990 the stork circled again and delivered a second daughter, Rosemarie Patricia.
In May 1991, Ed developed an aggressive form of multiple myeloma, a disease of the bone marrow. Despite excellent treatment at Georgetown University Hospital Ed’s illness did not improve. He was able to be at home to celebrate Mary Katherine’s sixth birthday. His condition continued to deteriorate. Ed passed away quietly in the hospital on October 6, 1991.
Kathleen writes: “Ed and I shared ‘sweet 16’ years of marriage. I know he valued his USMA classmates and we enjoyed several get-togethers with them. Ed would be very proud of his daughters’ accomplishments. Mary Katherine graduated cum laude from the College of Charleston in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in athletic training. In 2011, she received her doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Maryland in Baltimore. She now lives in Florida with her husband. Rosemarie graduated from Seton Keough High School in Baltimore in 2008 and attended Anne Arundel Community College. She presently lives in Maryland, not far from her mother. We all miss Ed very much but are comforted by knowing that he is always watching over us as our guardian angel.”
Amen. Rest in peace, Ed.
— Kathleen and JRD Mary Katherine, Rosemarie Patricia