Winford Edwin Mauldin

Winford Edwin "Ed" Mauldin, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, May 23 1938 to January 26, 2025, age 86. Ed was a beloved husband and father. He is preceded in death by his wife Sheryl and he is survived by his four children Derek, Jeff (wife Teri), Michael (wife Julie), and Katie (fiance Daniel), seven grandchildren; Jared (wife Sara), Clayton (wife Megan), Lilianna, Lorelei, Hayden, Maddox, and Ben, and two great grandchildren; Theo and Bindi. He is also survived by his twin sisters Selma Cox and Delma Davis.

Ed was the youngest of eight children of Alney Lafayette and Leola May (Claypool) and also had several cousins who were as close as siblings. He grew up in Bryan Texas, but he was born down in Tivoli where his father was working at the time. He was in the ROTC core at Texas A&M university where he was a world-class 800 meter runner on the track and field team. He graduated with a degree in physics, the only one of his siblings to go to college. He liked to tell us how he was not going to college until the Texas summer changed his mind as he worked outside as a carpenter's apprentice. He also liked to tell us how little it cost in the mid 1950's. Ed joined the Air Force and was active duty for 20 years. He was married to his first wife, Kathryn, during this time. He retired from the USAF in 1980 as a Lieutenant Colonel. During his time in the Air Force he obtained a Master's degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of New Mexico and an M.B.A from Auburn University. Ed joined Sandia National Laboratories and continued his work in national service for a further 20 years. Even after retiring from SNL, he continued to consult for a number of years afterwards. Working on secret projects, he was in the habit of not telling his family about his work, but he worked in the nuclear deterrent field during his USAF career and in nuclear weapon safety during part of his SNL career. Ed was a dedicated Christian and was a member of Hoffmantown Baptist church for several decades.

Ed was physically active his whole life, running several marathons. He also spent many hours in the gym staying fit, even complaining if he wasn't able to do the number of reps he wanted, well into his 70's. He encouraged his kids to participate in sports, coached myriad youth teams, and rooted for countless sporting events where his children and grandchildren played. He also supported them in all endeavors attending choir, band, and piano performances, school programs, and drama events. Not being satisfied with that, he loved taking the grandkids to movies and various other recreational activities. Ed loved his family and was well loved. He had a great time visiting everyone in his family. He especially enjoyed having his children and grandchildren over, singly and in bunches. He was competitive and loved to play games, often warning the family that he was world champion at whatever game they happened to be playing. Ed loved animals as well. In his later years he was known for having a soft heart for rescue dogs. His home was a loving retreat for many canine friends over the years. He was a regular supporter of Watermelon Ranch animal shelter. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to Watermelon Ranch (https://www.wmranch.org) in his memory.