Edward Irwin

May 30, 1921 - October 16, 2011

Edward Fisher Irwin of Boulder, Colorado, passed away on Sunday, October 16, at the age of 90. He was the only child of Dr. Charles Edward Irwin and Jessica Fisher Irwin, born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on May 30, 1921.

Ed's family moved to Marshalltown, Iowa, then to Belle Plaine, Iowa, where he graduated from Belle Plaine High School. He attended Drake College, was a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity and graduated at the University of Iowa, with a degree in Economics. He had already earned his private pilot’s license prior to joining the Navy.

The family moved to a Japanese Relocation Camp at Heart Mountain, Wyoming, where his father was the Chief Surgeon at the Camp hospital in WWII. It is here that he meet Ruth (Sally) Myers, who was a teacher at the camp. The couple was married November 21, 1944, soon after he received his wings and Naval commission. She preceded him in death (2003) after 58 years of marriage.

Ed joined the U.S. Navy in 1943, and served in WWII and the Korean War. He received the American Defense medal, WWII Victory Medal, Korean Defense Medal and National Defense Service Medal and retired after 20 years, 11 months, 27 days of service.

During his career, his family lived in Whidbey Island, Washington, Hawaii, Carmel, CA, Hutchinson, KS, Norfolk, VA, and Boulder, CO. However, he flew out of nearly every Naval Air Base in the World at one time or another. He was also a JAG officer trained in Military Law and Justice and carried a Special Security Passport.

One of his most notable assignments as a Navy Pilot was serving as the Commanding Officer, 1956-1958, of Project Magnet, that mapped the magnetic currents of the world and sea floor topography with a crew of nine. His plane, a Douglas R5D transport, was a flying laboratory conducting airborne surveys of the earth’s magnetic field for the U.S. Navy Hydrographic Office. This led to the discovery that the Earth’s magnetic poles, equator, and fields move daily. Much of the data was contributed to International Geophysical Year (1956). They mapped the ocean areas of the world, flying out from almost every air base in the Free World. The R5D was a 4-engine propeller-flown plane, which required JATO (Jet Assisted Take Off) fuel bottles strapped on the wings, to be fired for extra thrust when launching from short runways, while fully loaded. When they were unable to reach the base in Antarctica just before the polar winter, due to a previous plane crashes on the runway, their friends in Christ Church, New Zealand, painted a Kiwi on the plane’s nose, thus dubbing the plane, “The Kiwi Express.”

From 1959-63 he taught NROTC at the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Irwin retired from the Navy in 1963 and the next day went to work for Home Savings & Loan as a loan officer, then became the branch manager at 16th & Glenarm, Denver. In 1969 he became Treasurer and Manager of Home Savings and Loan, all offices. Home Savings merged with Capitol Federal S&L, and Irwin became the VP in charge of loans for Colorado.

In 1972-73, he was President of the American Savings & Loan League, Denver Chapter, and during these years taught classes for the S&L Institute. In 1980 he made headlines by introducing the first Adjustable Rate Mortgage in Colorado when rates were 18% or more. This loan was 16% or less and dropped nicely to 11% before requiring refinance. Unlike some later adjustable loans, there were many consumer protections included. He retired in 1983.

He taught Real Estate Finance for the University of Colorado Business School for over another decade, after which he declared that he finally got 'retirement right."

Irwin served on the Merit Selection Committee for U.S. Service Academy Nominations with Congressmen Tim Wirth (1974-1986), David Skaggs (1986-1988) and Mark Udall (1988-2008). He also served David Skaggs as a consultant for military legal cases.

Irwin was a dedicated member of the Boulder County Housing Authority Board for 13 years. The Ed Irwin Senior Center in Niwot at the Eagle Place Senior Housing is named for him.

In the 1960s & 70s he was a member of the Boulder Tomorrow Committee, which was the steering and fundraising committee for the development of the Boulder Downtown Mall. His wife Sally was a Board Member, responsible for raising the money to create the Mall.

Ed was a member of Boulder Rotary for 40 years, named a Paul Harris Fellow, and recipient of the Quiet Hero Award, Honorary Life Member.

He was on the Resident Advisory Board at the Lakewood Meridian until his death, and was a huge Rockies baseball fan.

Ed and Sally vacationed extensively in Europe, taking each of their grandchildren with them when they were preteens. He is survived by daughters Kathleen (Richard) Baker and Nancy (Scott) Stocker, grandchildren Laurie (Robert) Johnson, Sarah Stocker (fiance Casey George), Kristina Baker Corcoran, Mark Edward (Debbie) Baker. Great grandchildren are Tristan Corcoran, Tessa Corcoran, Avery Edward Johnson, Lainey Ruth Johnson, Ainsley Baker, Brennan Baker, Corrin Baker, Duncan Edward Baker.

Visitation will be held from 5-8 P.M. on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at Crist Mortuary. Funeral service will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday October 26, 2011 at Crist Mortuary Chapel. Graveside service with Military Honors will be held at 2:00 P.M. at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver that same day.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Boulder County Humane Society or the Boulder Rotary Foundation.

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