Edwin Herbert Blacka

Edwin (Ed) Herbert Blacka passed away on the morning of November 28, 2024, in Columbia, Maryland. He was born on July 8, 1938, in Waynesboro, Virginia, and grew up in Stuarts Draft, Virginia. He attended Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, WV, and then Duke University where he earned a master’s degree in mathematics. At Duke, he met his wife of 60 years, Catherine, and is survived by her, and two children, Jan (Craig Green) and David.

Ed was the middle child among seven siblings, and is survived by his sisters Rosalie Havenner of Charlottesville, VA, and Joyce (Kenneth) Miller of Stuarts Draft, VA; his brothers Jack Blacka of Stuarts Draft and Tom Blacka (Nancy) of Charlotte, NC; and many nieces and nephews.

A longtime resident of Columbia, Maryland, Ed was an active member of First Presbyterian Church of Howard County, a lifelong conservationist, a Master Gardener with a passion for composting, and a woodworker. He spent 34 years working at NSA as a mathematician, retiring in 2000. He served First Presbyterian as a trustee, a deacon, and for many years as a financial secretary. He sang in the church choir for several decades. Among his proudest achievements was building much of the furniture in the chancel of First Presbyterian.

A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Howard County, 9325 Presbyterian Circle, Columbia, MD, at 2 p.m. on Thursday, December 12. Donations may be made to the Music Fund at First Presbyterian.