Edward Lincoln Sill

Edward Lincoln Sill III, a brilliant engineer, Army veteran, and devoted father, passed away peacefully in his sleep on the night of February 19, 2026, at the age of 82.

Born on November 4, 1943, in Royce City, Texas, Ed was a restless spirit from a young age. He spent his childhood with his three sisters, moving across Texas and Oklahoma. As a teenager, he demonstrated an early aptitude for engineering, pursuing the hobby of building his own rockets and the occasional, surprisingly powerful, pipebomb.

Ed attended Oklahoma State University, before joining the U.S. Army in September of 1967 where he specialized in radar repair and was contracted for a single tour of duty in Vietnam. Despite his contract, his specialized skills led to his attachment to Army Intelligence with a Crypto Clearance, and he was ultimately ordered to serve a second tour in Vietnam. He left the Army in September of 1971 with an SP5 Rank. Following his military service, he returned to Oklahoma State, initially pursuing a degree in Art before a blunt professor led him to change his major to Physics.

Ed earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Oklahoma State and was just twelve units and a dissertation away from a PhD, all while being a single father. During his time in school he also taught graduate student classes even when he was still an undergrad. Driven to provide for his family, he stepped away from his studies and began a long and successful career in photolithography, focusing on mapping computer chip layouts on silicon wafers. He was a prolific inventor, retiring at 55 with multiple patents to his name. In December of 2024 he donated a custom built 16in Cassegrain telescope to Oklahoma State, the school that he loved.

During his years in the military and later in his professional life, Ed resided in numerous locations, including Fort Huachuca, Arizona; Santa Clara, California; Austin, Texas; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Palm Bay, Florida; San Jose, California, Phoenix, Arizona; before retiring to San Diego, Oakhurst, and most recently, Forest Hill, California.

He is survived by his wife Linda, son Steven, sister Sue, step children Scott and Leslie, grandchildren Jessica and Dylan, and step grandchildren McKayla, Chelsea, River and Kaiya.