Edward Walker Sergent

Edward Walker Sergent was born on December 20th, 1927 in Shelby, Ohio and died of natural causes on April 15th, 2023 at the age of 95. He was the ninth of 13 children born to James F. Sergeant and Fannie Johnson and spent most of his childhood in and around Shelby. He never attended high school or made it beyond seventh grade. Before and after his military service, Ed worked several jobs at places such as Barnes Pumps, Dominion Electric (who made practice bombs), Myers Pumps and Shelby Air Depot. He also worked with his brother, Keck, cutting timber.

Like so many others of that generation, Ed lied about his age to enlist in the Navy. He told the Navy he was born on April 1st, 1925 (His “April Fool’s Navy birthday"), and went to boot camp at Great Lakes, IL on July 19, 1943, when he was just 15 years old. He was inspired by his older brothers who had answered the call and joined the military. One older brother, “Mannie”, Edward M. Sergent, was killed in action in Holland in World War II, on Sept 3,1944 and laid to rest at Henri-Chapelle American cemetery in Belgium. His brothers Manuel J. and Theodore D. Sergent also served in the Navy during WWII.

Ed attended Naval Aviation Ordnance School, Aerial Gunnery School, Mine Warfare School, Explosive Advance Disposal School, and Deep Sea Diver’s Course, among others. In addition to being an EOD diver, Ed spent time throughout the South Pacific including Kisarazu and Atsugi, Japan as an air crewman/gunner on the PB2Y Coronado Seaplane. The last remaining Coronado was restored by the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL, and Ed was able to revel in its glory on a trip there in 2019.

Ed was honorably discharged on August 1, 1953 as a Petty Officer First Class after serving on active duty for nine and a half years and his decorations included the Navy Occupation Medal, The Navy Good Conduct Medal, The Korean Service Medal, and the United Nations Ribbon.

After the military, he married, had three children, and worked hard. He worked inside sales at Sears, and outside sales for Stanback Aspirin, and Burgess Batteries. In 1964 a friend offered him a job in police sales. This led to him moving and opening up a shop in Seville, Ohio, selling police uniforms and equipment. His son, Mark, was killed there at just age nine while riding a bicycle and the tragedy touched the family deeply. Ed gave up alcohol and tobacco and poured his passion into saving lives by catching speeders with police traffic radar.

In 1969, Ed moved with his family to Chanute, Kansas and helped Kustom Electronics expand to the traffic radar business. His final business venture was MPH Industries, which was also a police radar business and he held patents for the first moving traffic radar. He sold this business and retired to Arcadia, Florida in 1988. While still in Kansas, Ed was a national class motorcycle racer and did stunt flying in his own airplane, in which he held a commercial instrument multi-engine airplane pilot license. Ed spent a lot of time in his early retirement traveling the United States in his Airstream RV, often towed behind a Cadillac sedan, with his wife and often with his grandchildren.

Ed’s wife, Ann, was called home in 2009, but Ed continued to live an active, independent life until the very last stages of his life. His hobbies included photography with vintage cameras, gunsmithing, bench rest target shooting, and an occasional poker game. He is preceded in death by his son-in-law William F. Scott (2021) in addition to his wife Ann and son Mark. He is survived by his daughters, Barbara Winkler and Carolyn Scott, son-in-law J.C. Winkler, and he also has six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. His grandson, Nate Winkler, served for six years in the Marine Corps, including a tour in Iraq, and his grandson-in-law, Andrew Lee, is currently a Naval Pilot stationed at Jacksonville NAS.

A celebration of life service will be held on Thursday May 11, 2023 at 11:30AM from Sarasota National Cemetery Sarasota FL, with Military Honors.