Edwin William Thate Jr.

Edwin William Thate Jr. (Ed), 81, of Baltimore, passed from this life to be in the presence of his Savior on March 18th, 2026.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland on October 16th, 1944, Ed earned a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Baltimore. He served in the U.S. Army National Guard, earning a rank of Staff Sergeant (E-6) before being honorably discharged after 6 years of service. Ed also earned his CPA certification and worked for the state of Maryland for 30 years as an auditor.

He started his morning with Bible reading, then by day, was in a suit working as a CPA. Evenings and weekends were spent in jeans or bermuda shorts, either working in his garden growing Thate’s Tremendous Tomatoes and zucchini, or at his parents’ homes, helping them with whatever they needed. In the summer time, he loved taking the family up to Garrett County, staying in log cabins, fellowshipping with friends, and enjoying God’s creation.

He loved his family immensely and led them in prayer, Bible reading, and worship together. Ed devoted himself to serving and volunteering in various church ministries, being Admin director for their homeschool community-CHEN in CYA sports league, serving with the Christian Farmers Outreach sharing the Gospel at the Maryland State Fair, and being a phone counselor for the Billy Graham telephone ministry which he served for 40 years. He also spent many years doing personal taxes for many people and enjoyed selling calendars. He loved singing with his grandchildren and listening to them play music. His most recent project was working on writing Bible quizzes for several books of the Bible.

Ed is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Deborah; their four children, Tabetha (married to Scott), Timothy (married to Jenna), Emily (married to Nate), and John (married to Erin); 11 grandchildren, Ethan (married to Abi), Bethany, Olivia, Berkeley, Selah, Elijah, Autumn, Macie, Maximus, Enoch, and Magnus; and siblings, Richard, Joan, and Rodger. The beloved son of the late; Edwin William Thate Sr. and Madie Weber Thate.

Viewing & Visitation will be held on Sunday, March 22nd, 2026, from 2 PM to 3 PM at Grace Community Church, 11611 Belair Rd, Kingsville, MD 21087, followed by a Celebration of Life service starting at 3:30 PM. A potluck reception will immediately follow the service at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in honor of Ed to Samaritan’s Purse or his grandkid’s upcoming missions trips.

Ed leaves behind a legacy of endurance during hard seasons and circumstances while constantly sharing the good news of Jesus to everyone around him. He was a man who feared the Lord and daily prayed for his family and for a long list of others. He worked hard his whole life and loved his wife and family dearly. He put his hope and trust in Jesus and is thankful to have eternal life with Him.