Edward J. Roman

Edward J. Roman, 92, of Woodbridge, Virginia, passed away peacefully at Sentara Hospital on January 4, 2023, after a brief illness. He was born on April 11, 1930, to John and Amelia Roman in Dickson City (Scranton), Pennsylvania. He is survived by his beloved wife of 64 years, Mitzi, his daughter, Kimberly of Woodbridge, his son, Brian (Beth) of Manassas, VA and his sister, Patricia Senkow of Throop, PA. He is survived by several nieces and nephews. Ed was a retired Master Sergeant who proudly served for 22 years in the United States Army Signal Corps in various locations including Indochina, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Ecuador, and Hawaii. The second half of his career dealt with satellite tracking and after his military retirement he remained in the space field as a satellite control engineer for Intelsat. In his later years he became a volunteer for the Prince William County Police Department, logging in more than 13,000 hours in 13 years. In 2002, he was honored as the Virginia Volunteer of the Year in the Homeland Security category. Travel, sports, cookies and all things John Wayne were among his favorite things. In 1958 he was assigned to Project Vanguard in Quito, Ecuador where his mission was tracking satellites, specifically Sputnik. This is where he and Mitzi met while she was on a foreign service assignment at the American embassy. They were married in Quito in 1959. As a resident of Woodbridge for 58 years, he took part in many community activities. During the seventies he enjoyed coaching the Beavers, a group of eight-year-old boys in the Pop Warner football program. He also was a baseball coach with the Woodbridge Little League. Affectionately known as Mr. Ed, he became the first room father at Featherstone Elementary School, putting on parties for the children and going on their field trips. Sports were a big part of his life; he was an avid fan of the Redskins and Nationals. His one exception was Patrick Mahomes, when Patrick was playing, he became a Chiefs fan. For many years he joined the mall walkers on their daily rounds followed by coffee and companionship in the food court. Over forty years ago, Ed and Mitzi moved to their current home in a brand-new cul-de-sac and quickly bonded with other new residents. This experience led to numerous picnics, graduation parties, weddings and Christmas luminaria lining the sidewalks. He played with all the children and was often called the biggest kid in the neighborhood. He spent many wonderful years as a member of the Silver Foxes at his parish, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Lake Ridge, VA. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy can be made to: Prince William County Police Survivors Trust Attn: First Sergeant Sam Dixon, Special Operations Bureau 5017 Prince William Pkwy, Woodbridge, VA 22192 Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

Tributes

Edward J. Roman

January 4, 2023