Edward L. Queen

MGySgt. Edward L. Queen, USMC (ret.), 93, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, July 22, 2021.

Born November 18, 1927, in Parkersburg, WV, “Queen”, as he was known, was the only child of Zeda Queen. A child of the Depression he left school after 8th grade and worked numerous jobs, including bellboy, meatpacker, and pipe layer before enlisting in the US Navy in the fall of 1944. Assigned to the Seabees, he served in the Pacific Theater during WWII. He received an honorable discharge in 1946.

After 2 years working in a Baltimore steel mill, Queen returned to the military, enlisting in the US Marine Corps. For the next 25 years he served his country with honor, adding the Korean and Vietnam Wars to his service in WWII. He retired in 1973 with the rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant. Included among his commendations were the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Presidential Unit Citation. 

In 1950, while stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC a friend introduced him to Sarah “Pat” Simpson. They married in 1954 and he doted upon her until her passing in 2020. They raised two sons, Edward L. Queen II, born in 1958, and Russell F. Queen, born in 1962.

In 1974, following a year renovating a 100 plus year old home, Queen joined the faculty of A.C. Mosley High School in Panama City, FL as an instructor with the school’s Marine Corps Jr. R.O.T.C. program. He retired for good in 1979.

Knowledgeable in construction and a skilled mechanic (his tours included N.C.O. in charge of motor transport for the 1st Marine Air Wing in Vietnam and of Marine Corps motor transport research and development) Queen would put those skills to use as a volunteer, helping to build a youth football field, complete with concession stand and announcer’s booth, and renovating the cafeteria of the local public elementary school.

Mostly, however, he was a homebody devoted to his wife, family, house, and yard. Queen exhibited notable pride in his sons’ educational and professional achievements. Edward is a faculty member at Emory University and Russell is the principal of A.K. Suter Elementary School in Pensacola, FL.

In 1994, he and Pat moved to Pensacola where they lived a quiet life around the corner from their younger son, Russell, and his family. Their social lives revolved around their membership in the local Moose Lodge and visits from their children’s families.

Queen is survived by his sons, Edward L. Queen II and Russell F. Queen; daughters-in-law Hallie Segal and Diana Queen; grandsons, Jonah Queen and Connor Queen; granddaughters, Sarah Queen and Anna Lura Queen.

Funeral Cortege will depart Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel at 9:30am Tuesday, July 27, 2021, for a 10:00am Graveside Service at Barrancas National Cemetery, with full Marine Honors. Chaplain Ken Griffin will officiate.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to A.K. Suter Elementary School, 501 Pickens Ave., Pensacola, FL 32503 or to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Georgia Chapter, 57 Executive Park S., Suite 380, Atlanta, GA 30329.