Edward John Gutwald
Edward J. Gutwald, 82, of Simpsonville, husband of Elise Alston Mehrlich Gutwald, died on Tuesday, December 8, 2015.
Born January 20, 1933 in Davenport Iowa, Mr. Gutwald was the son of the late Mildred and Edward Sothmann. He later took his step-father’s name.
In addition to Elise, his wife of 61 years, he is survived by two daughters, Elizabeth Gregory and Frances Gutwald both of Simpsonville; two grandsons, Benjamin Tiller and his wife, Nicole of St. Augustine, FL, and Daniel Nickel of Simpsonville; and five great-grandchildren.
Mr. Gutwald was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Rachel Elizabeth Gregory.
A 1954 graduate of The Citadel, with a degree in Civil Engineering, Mr. Gutwald received a commission in the U.S. Army as a second Lieutenant. He served four years on active duty.
Mr. Gutwald was a pioneer and leader in data processing for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He was a registered engineer and worked for the Corps for 35 years in a variety of assignments and locations. He was instrumental in establishing Data Processing Centers and became the first full time Automatic Data Processing Coordinator for Corps Districts in Savannah, GA, Baltimore, MD, and the Division Office in Atlanta.
After his retirement from the Corps in 1989, he enjoyed traveling with his family, watching baseball, and joking with anyone around him. Mr. Gutwald was affectionately called “Grumpy” by his grand and great-grandchildren.
In honoring Mr. Gutwald’s requests, please make memorials in lieu of flowers to: Share Her Smile Inc., 228 Oak Valley Drive, Simpsonville, SC 29681. Share Her Smile is an IRS registered, 501(c)(3) nonprofit that was founded in memory of his granddaughter, Rachel Elizabeth Gregory. While awaiting a liver transplant herself, it was Rachel’s dream to open a facility in Charleston to house transplant patients and their caregivers. Since Rachel’s passing in 2014, it has become her family’s passion to honor her dream.
The family will receive friends on Friday, December 11, 2015 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at Heritage Funeral Home.
Interment will be at a later date in Charleston.