Obituary of Edward M. Marwell

Edward M. Marwell, 88, September 7th, of natural causes at his longtime home in Mount Kisco, NY. Born to parents Nathan and Ethel on June 16, 1922, in Brookline, MA , he grew up in New York City where he graduated from Stuyvesant High School, Columbia College and Columbia School of Engineering. During World War II he served as an officer in the United States Army Air Forces and was Chief Engineer of the Fifth Air Force Factory in Showa, Japan as part of the Army of Occupation. After the war, he settled with his young family in Mount Kisco, NY. During the 1950's, he was active in local government and served in several roles including Mount Kisco Village Trustee and Police Commissioner. Later, in the early 1970s, he was appointed by the Village to be Chairman of the Mount Kisco Human Rights Commission. In 1968 he was elected as a McCarthy delegate to the Democratic Convention in Chicago. Mr. Marwell worked in a variety of managerial positions at General Precision Laboratory in Pleasantville, NY, prior to co-founding, in Mount Kisco in 1960, Curtis Instruments, Inc. Curtis Instruments, now celebrating its 50th year, is a global leader in the design, manufacture and sales of integrated control systems for electric vehicles (of all types) with thirteen subsidiary companies around the world including early ventures in Eastern Europe and China. Mr. Marwell served as President of the company from 1960-2000 and as its chairman from 1960-2003. During his career, he worked on the Doppler Air Traffic control system and supplied instrumentation for many of the Apollo manned space flights including the fuel gauge for the lunar rover on Apollos 15, 16 and 17. In 2003, he received the Order of the Madara Horseman (First Degree) from the Republic of Bulgaria. This medal is awarded by Bulgaria to foreign nationals who have made significant contributions in establishing scientific, educational, economic or cultural ties to the country. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Grace Glass Marwell; his son Stuart and daughter-in-law Vicki of Katonah NY; his daughter Emily Marwell of Washington DC; his son David and daughter-in-law Judy of University Park Maryland and Manhattan; and his son Joshua and daughter-in-law Chitra Bopardikar of Manhattan. He was blessed to have eight grandchildren: Nicholas, Elizabeth, Tao, Jen, Nathan, Gabriel, Tobias and Anjali Marwell and granddaughter-in-law Margaret Lee. In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome to the Mount Kisco Day Care Center, 95 Radio Circle, Mt. Kisco, NY 10549. www.mkdcc.org