Edward Pelton

Edward Pelton, 86, passed away on November 3, 2026, in San Diego, California. Born 1940, in Elyria, Ohio, to David and Mary Pelton, he built his engineering career in California and will be laid to rest in the Ohio soil where he began.

In 1961, he married Marilyn, and they shared 65 years of marriage. They made their home in San Diego, raised their family, and built a circle of friends. He had a love of time pieces, traveling the US, and fixing his family’s cars. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn; his daughter, Janet Racciato; his son, Ronald Pelton; his sisters, Rita McMahon and Kathy Hopper; and his grandchildren, Niko Racciato and Michaela Racciato. He was preceded in death by his brother, Robert Pelton. His family will remember a devoted husband, father, and grandfather whose curiosity never dimmed.

Ed earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from The Ohio State University in 1975. His scholarship was recognized by election into three honor societies: Sigma Xi; Eta Kappa Nu, the electrical and computer engineering honor society; and Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society. He spent 14 years with McDonnell Douglas as an electrical engineer, where his specialty — antennas and the radomes that protect them — placed him at the heart of aerospace communications. He authored or co-authored more than a dozen published papers on antennas and radomes, and he held two antenna patents and two radome patents.

He was also a member of the Association of Old Crows, the electronic-warfare profession's own association. His peers recognized his standing in the field: he was a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a distinction reserved for engineers of significant achievement and experience. His work — helping aircraft see, communicate, and navigate — demanded precision, and he supplied it.

Burial was at River Road Cemetery in LaGrange, Ohio, under the direction of Laubenthal-Mercado Funeral Home of Elyria (440)322-4626. A memorial service celebrating Ed's life will be held later. The family thanks those who have offered condolences, and asks friends to remember him as he lived: curious, accomplished, and devoted to the people he loved. Online condolences to the family may be expressed at www.laubenthalmercado.com