Edward William Winter, 92, of Branford and Naples, Florida, died on Aug. 16. He was the husband of 45 years to the late Helen Joan Rice Winter, who predeceased him in 1997.  He was born in New Haven on Sept. 23, 1917, son of William and Elizabeth Gibbons Winter.  A graduate of Hillhouse High School’s class of 1936, he studied civil engineering at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute. He was also president of his class and Rushing chairman of DKE fraternity. 

Edward served five years in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a 1st class bosun’s mate, demagnetizing ships, and later served on a mine sweeper patrolling the Atlantic Ocean. After the war, he returned to run his family real estate and grocery business in New Haven, “Winter’s Market on the Square.”

Edward received a master’s degree in education from Southern Connecticut State University and taught school for 17 years in Cheshire, until his retirement in 1984. He also served as a captain in the Connecticut Governor’s Foot Guard from 1950 to 2000 and attended nine presidential inaugurations.

In July of 2000, Edward married his life-long friend, Mary Skipp Phillips, and they merged their families.  

He is survived by seven children, Christopher Winter, Robert Winter, Sally Steinmeier and her husband Paul, Meg Winter, John Winter, Mary Keyes and her husband James, and Peter Winter and his wife Charity. He is also survived by nine grandchildren, Katie Winter, Margaret and Timothy Steinmeier, Nicholas and  William Carell, James, Christopher and Elizabeth Keyes, and Edward Peter Winter; two stepdaughters, Mary Alice Hoogland and her husband Fred and Nancy Phillips and her partner Kathy Burton; and five step-grandchildren, Emily, Peter, and Lief Friedichs, Ben Hoogland, and Annie Burton.

A memorial mass will be held on Saturday, Aug. 21, at 9 a.m., at St Mary's Catholic Church in Branford. The Swan Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.