Obituary for Col. Edward B. Wilford III

Colonel Edward B. Wilford III, a long-time Main Line resident, Korean War veteran and lifelong athlete, died peacefully in his sleep on the morning of December 5, 2018, at the age of 93. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Merion Station, he graduated from The Haverford School in 1943. After an additional two years of study while serving in the Army reserve, he attended West Point, graduated in 1949, and then joined the Air Force flight school to become a jet pilot and the head of his squadron in the Korean War. After the war he returned to civilian work and then moved his family to the Washington, D.C., area in 1962 to work for companies serving the defense sector and later at several government agencies. He returned to the Main Line in the mid-1970s, where he met his current wife and great love, Harriet Fell Baxter Wilford, whom he married in 1979. They were active members of the Merion Cricket Club, where he won the Seniors Squash Singles National Title in 2005 and played tournament croquet. Besides his wife and her children and grandchildren, Colonel Wilford is survived by his son, E. Burke Wilford IV and family, residing in Darnestown, MD, and two daughters, Lynn Wilford of Euless, TX, and Catherine Wilford Fraley of Montara, CA. A private burial in West Laurel Hill Cemetery was held on Saturday, December 8th. A Celebration of Life memorial will be held at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church on Saturday, January 26th at 11:30. His family welcomes all friends to join the memorial service.

Published in Main Line Media News on Dec. 23, 2018