- Date Of Birth: December 9, 1919
- Date Of Death: March 16, 2009
- State: Illinois
Edgar A. Franz, 89, died Monday, March 16th, 2009 in Jacksonville. He is survived by his wife, Mary. Their occasionally contentious but constantly devoted marriage lasted more than 62 years. Edgar’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are: Trina and Bob Meek; Kristen, Tom, Hannah, and Fisher DeWitt; Aaron, Heather, Rylie, Ian, and Finnegan Meek; Sean, Deea, Conner, and Gavin Meek; Robert Jonathan Meek (deceased); Gretchen (deceased) and Rich Wittmann; Gretta and Adam Lowry; Garth (Lesley) Wittmann; Zachary Wittmann; Gentz and Jeri Franz; Gentzy, Lori, Brennan, Zoe, and Ava Franz; Jacob Franz (deceased); Kari, Jerad, Carter, Owen, and Max Casson; Maggie Franz; John Franz; Heidi and Jim Agner; Bart Agner; Jesse Agner.
Edgar was born Dec 9, 1919 in Staunton, IL. His parents were Arthur and Martha Franz, and he was the eldest brother of Raymond (wife Hilda), Alvin (wife Patty) and Kenneth (wife Betty).
Edgar graduated from Alton High School and attended Shurtleff College and Rolla School of Mines until his enlistment in the U.S. Army in1943. He served in the Army Signal Corps in the European Theatre until 1946. After a long distance courtship conducted entirely by V-mail during WWII, he married Mary Margaret Jennings on May 18th, 1946in Alton, IL.
From 1946 to 1947 he was employed as an electrical engineer at Western Electric Company in Chicago.
Edgar attended the University of Iowa from 1947 to 1949, and was awarded Bachelors and Masters degrees in 1949.
He began his career as a mathematics professor in 1949 at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, MO. During the Korean Conflict he was recalled to active duty as an officer in the Army Signal Corps where he served from 1951 to 1952. He returned to Culver-Stockton to continue teaching, and served as Chairman of the Science Division until 1965. In 1965 he became Head of the Mathematics Department at Illinois College in Jacksonville. He was honored with the Harry J. Dunbaugh Distinguished Professor Award in 1974 and named Hitchcock Professor of Mathematics in 1980. He retired in 1987 as Professor Emeritus of Mathematics. He continued teaching part time at Illinois College until 1994, when he wrote his last hookie-wonk on the chalk board in Sturtevant Hall.
Edgar was known for his humor, his love of words, his eccentricities, his love for his family, his love of learning and teaching, his strong faith, and his integrity and sense of justice. He was nurturing, he loved children, and he was dedicated to his students.
