OBITUARY Edwin Cline Gillenwater February 7, 1938 – January 23, 2019 Edwin “Ed” Cline Gillenwater, 1938-2019 Edwin “Ed” Cline Gillenwater, 80, of Falls Church, VA, passed away on January 23, 2019 after a sudden and brief struggle with cancer. Ed was born on February 7, 1938 in Dante, VA to the late Darwin and Virginia (Cline) Gillenwater. He grew up in nearby St. Paul, VA, received a B.S. from Virginia Tech in 1960, and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Richmond in 1968. Ed served in the Navy as an officer from 1961 to 1964. He was a lieutenant and operations officer on the USS Leary (DDR 879) that participated in the Cuban Blockade in the Fall of 1962. Ed’s more than 40-year legal career began in Norton, VA, before moving to Fairfax County in the mid-1970s where he had a family law practice for 35 years. Ed’s immediate survivors include his son, Vance (Ila) Gillenwater of Warren, NJ; his son, John (Tracie) Gillenwater of Richmond,VA; and his daughter, Anne (Aaron) Frye of Denver, CO, along with six grandchildren: Jack, Davis, Harrison, Claire, Zellie and Susanna. Other family survivors include his three younger siblings: Jim (Connie) Gillenwater of Abingdon, VA, Janice (Mike) Ryan of Winston-Salem, NC, and Ruth (Mike) Gibson, of Charlottesville, VA, along with numerous nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews. Ed is also survived by his ex-wife, Sue Gillenwater of Richmond, VA. Ed maintained a small and intimate circle of long-time friends that he cared deeply about, which included Josh Tenuta, with whom he shared a home for the past 29 years. Ed was passionate about life, where his interests were wide and varied. In his earlier years, music played a major role in his life. He played the piano where he used his skills to earn extra money at local restaurants and taverns while in school. At the same time, Ed played the trombone for the VA Tech marching band. Ed also enjoyed playing the church organ, not only for his own church, but for churches of many denominations. After law school, he particularly enjoyed directing his local Episcopal church choir when living in Norton, VA, where he also spearheaded the funding and installation of their pipe organ. After moving to Fairfax County, Ed kept show-quality Koi for the past 40 years and was a longtime advocate and educator for the koi keeping hobby. He was one of the first ever Japanese certified koi judges on the east coast. At home, he designed and maintained increasingly larger koi ponds and Japanese gardens over the years. Ed loved good food, he loved to cook, and he loved to laugh. He used those skills to the fullest as he enjoyed entertaining friends and family not only with wonderful food, but with his unique gift of story-telling. In his later years, Ed became passionate about crossword puzzles, where he completed two puzzles a day, including the New York Times, skills he said helped keep his brain sharp. Ed was a larger than life presence in the lives of all who came to know him and will be sorely missed even as we carry his memory in our hearts for years to come. The visitation will be held on Saturday, February 9, 2019 from 10 am until 12 noon with a funeral service starting at 12 noon. There will be an inurnment at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to Capital Caring Hospice, headquartered in Falls Church. Send Flowers Show Your Support Share Obituary share to facebook share by email share link Receive Notifications
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Edwin Cline Gillenwater 2019.
Death notice for the town of: falls-church, state: Virginia