Ed was born on December 9, 1934, in Steubenville, Ohio, son of Sarah Eleanor McGinnis and Edward C. McGinnis, Sr.
Ed was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Mardie; his parents; his sister, Charlotte McGinnis Woffinden; and his niece, Megan McGinnis.
He grew up in Cleveland and was a member of the inaugural 1949 class enrolled at St. Edward High School in Lakewood. His family relocated to New London, where he was an end on New London High School’s 1951 state championship football team and graduated in 1955.
Ed served in the U.S. Air Force (1955-1959) and was attached to the 429th Fighter Bomber Squadron in Nancy, France and Clovis, New Mexico. He received his bachelor’s degree from Ashland College in 1966, and his M.S. from the University of Akron in 1972.
Ed leaves behind a long and accomplished career in education. He held a number of administrative positions at Ashland College, ultimately serving as dean of students from 1969-1973. From 1974 through his retirement in 1996, McGinnis served as secondary guidance director and principal at the Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center. In 2010, the Career Center Board recognized McGinnis with its highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award. Countless former students and colleagues remember Ed as a consummate educator, sensing potential in every student and quick to offer a hand in support and encouragement.
Deeply rooted in his Roman Catholic faith, McGinnis was a decades-long parishioner at St. Edward Church in Ashland, where he served as an usher and as president of the parish council in the 1980s.
Family, friends, and colleagues remember Ed’s good humor, generosity of spirit, readiness to lend a hand, and always, his perceptive and compassionate mentorship of young people. All remember his deeply affectionate 53-year marriage to Mardie.
Ed is survived by his daughter, Dr. Susan McGinnis Truitt; son, Chad McGinnis; brother, Jim McGinnis; grandchildren, Carly Truitt Murray, Kevin Truitt, Ethan McGinnis, and Claire McGinnis; great-grandson, Lincoln Murray; son-in-law, Dr. Thomas Truitt; and daughter-in-law, Laura Cappel McGinnis.
The family will receive friends on Thursday, November 6, 2025, from 5:00-6:00 pm at Harter Family Funeral Home, 308 Claremont Ave., Ashland. A celebration of life service will follow at 6:00 p.m. A Memorial Mass will be held at St. Edward Catholic Church, 501 Cottage Street, Ashland, Ohio, on Friday, November 7, 2025, at 11:00 am. Inurnment will follow in Ashland Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to ACWH Career Center, St. Edward Catholic Church, or Ashland University.
