Edward W. Sawvell, Jr., age 74, of Wilton, passed away on Sunday, June 22, 2025, at Wilton Retirement Community. Cremation rites have been accorded. A memorial gathering will be held from 4-6 p.m., Saturday, June 28, at Bentley Funeral Home, Wilton. A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m., Sunday, June 29, at First Presbyterian Church in Wilton. Burial will take place in Oakdale Cemetery, Wilton. Online condolences may be left at www.bentleyfuneralhome.com.
Ed was born on Jan. 26, 1951, the son of Edward and Geneva (Meskimen) Sawvell, Sr. in Muscatine. He attended Wilton High School, graduating with the Class of 1969, where he played on the 1968 undefeated football team. He later attended Muscatine Community College and graduated from University of Northern Iowa in 1972, where he played baseball for both schools. He married Terri Maurer on Sept. 15, 1973, in the First Presbyterian Church.
Ed served as a supervisor at Caterpillar in Mt. Joy for 16 years before continuing his career at Muscatine Power and Water, where he worked for 25 years until his retirement in 2013. A man of faith and strong community values, Ed was a longtime member of the First Presbyterian Church in Wilton. He was also actively involved in the Wilton Athletic Boosters and gave generously of his time, volunteering thousands of hours at Wilton Community Schools. For more than two decades, Ed served as the assistant baseball coach and pitching coach for the Wilton High School baseball team, where he mentored generations of student-athletes with patience, knowledge, and unwavering encouragement. Ed’s love of baseball extended far beyond the dugout. He was inducted into the Iowa Baseball Hall of Fame both as a player and as a coach. Incredibly, Ed also won 10 world championships in the Men’s Senior Baseball League. Ed was also an avid outdoorsman and especially loved hunting and fishing with family and friends
Ed will be lovingly remembered by his three sons, Matthew (Amy) Sawvell of O’Fallon, Mo., Nathan Sawvell of Wilton and Casey Sawvell of Wilton; five grandchildren, Macy, Colby, Caleb, Kelsey, and Quincy; three sisters, Jeanine Wacker of Wilton, Vicki (Tom) Sneddon of Wilton, and Sue (Omar) Bradley of Wilton; two brothers, Dean Sawvell of Clarksville, Tenn., and Stan (Tami) Sawvell of Wilton.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Geneva; one sister, Christine Fread; a brother in-law, Harold “Buck” Wacker; and a sister in-law, Mary Ann Sawvell.
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