Edward Henry Minges Jr.

Edward Henry Minges Jr. passed away Sunday, Sept. 20 at his home in Mission, KS following a long illness. He was 79 years old.

He was the author of both fiction and academic studies: The Amazon eight-part “Riversitting” series, an account of growing up in the latter part of the previous century, drew heavily on his years in Kansas, California and the East Coast. He was also a poet.

He served in the U.S. Coast Guard at Yaquina Bay Station, Newport, OR following his graduation from Encinal High School, Alameda, CA.

Graduating from Wichita State University with a bachelor’ degree in LAS Economics, Ed continued his studies at Kansas State University, where he received two masters degrees in economics.

His 1975 master’s thesis ”Famine and the Rational Peasant” explored the then-new theory of famine as an economic event.

Following graduation, he became an instructor of economics at Barton County Community College, and in 1987 authored an economic analysis of the proposed Northwest Passage highway in Barton County. It was created for the Mid-Kansas Economic Development Commission.

He was a consultant with Foreman Econmetrics, Wichita, and a professional site selector with Robertson Investment Company, McLean, VA.

He enjoyed selling Toyotas.

In the 1990s, Ed expanded his career sights to include the incorporation of MS Word and Excel to integrate related documents and decrease duplication of labor for a Kansas City loan service.

Later, he became an IRS agent.

His interests were as eclectic as his employment: Obtaining county maps from Topeka, Ed explored Kansas backroads, using his skills as a photographer to capture the beauty of the region. As a cook, he delighted in recreating his mother’s spaghetti sauce, picking up cooking tips from his friends in K State’s international community, and transferring recipes into a readable format he created. Ed also was active in theater at Wichita State University and in Topeka.

He enjoyed really bad movies and hard rock.

Surviving are his widow, Kathy Moulthrop Minges of Mission KS; his son, Edward G. Minges of Orillia, Ontario, Canada; his stepdaughter Rebecca Moulthrop of Exeter, CA; and his grandchildren Stella and Gilda Minges of Orillia and Mychal and Zoaro Benoit of Exeter.

A memorial service will be held at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Mission, KS. Details to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to your favorite public radio station is appreciated.