Erwin von Graff Minter

1934 - 2012  (78 years)

• Name	Erwin von Graff Minter
  Birth	9 Apr 1934	Amarillo, Potter County, Texas, USA   [1]
  Gender	Male
  _UID	B3227B69B5814E80AD9D62854C8EDBED90E5
  Death	4 Jun 2012	Perryville, Cecil County, Maryland, USA   [1]
  Burial	29 Aug 2012	Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA   [1, 2]
  Notes	1940 United States Federal Census (on 8 Apr 1940), in Decatur, Morgan County, Alabama (all MINTER), Rebecca (head, 50, widow, born Mississippi), Russell Ellis (grandson, 9, born Texas) and Graff (grandson, 5, born Texas). From findagrave.com, Sep 2015: Major Erwin von Graff Minter, U.S. Army (Ret.), 78, of Abingdon, died June 4 at Perry Point VA Medical Center in Perry Point. Born in Amarillo, TX, he was the son of the late Dr. Russell Ellis Minter and Lt. Col. Myrtis Susan Jackson Hanson Minter (Ret.). He was an Intelligence Research Specialist and proudly served in the U.S. Army where he retired as a Major. He served three tours during Vietnam earning numerous awards including the Bronze Star with First Oak Leaf Cluster and "V" Device. Along with his service in the U.S. Army, he also worked for NASA as a Security Specialist which involved physical security for the space shuttle. He enjoyed genealogy, bird watching, duck carving, adventures, day trips and was a "Squirrel Warrior." Maj. (Ret.) Erwin Minter is survived by his wife of 12 years, Elva Cecilia Minter (nee Garcia) of Abingdon; son, David Minter and wife Lisa of Severna Park; daughters, Karla Platt and husband Tom of Rockville, and Jennifer Riley and husband Joseph of Crofton; and seven grandchildren. In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his brother, Russell Minter Jr. Visitation will be held from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, June 8, at McComas Funeral Home, P.A. in Abingdon. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 9, at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Abingdon. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Alzheimer's Disease Association, 1850 York Road, Suite D, Timonium, MD 21093-5142. Memory tributes may be sent to the family at www.mccomasfuneralhome.com Inscription: Maj US Army Vietnam Bronze Star Medal and Oak Leaf Cluster with Valor Note: Interment on August 29, 2012 Burial: Arlington National Cemetery Arlington Arlington County Virginia, USA Plot: Section 64 Site 4288 Erwin's son David gave the eulogy at his father's funeral: "Time - too much, too little, fleeting, you wish things would hurry along. You wish you had more of it. Yet time isn't hurried or leisurely. Time is constant, reliable, something you can count on every day. Time passes but always with the same precision. Now its time to sum up the life of a multifaceted man. There's not enough time to talk about all the things he accomplished. There's not enough time to remember 78 years of life, yet here we are, called to do just that. Erwin, like time, was reliable. He was constant. He was always in motion. He was the son of a physician and career Army nurse. His father passed when he was almost two. His mother was in the military, so he and his older brother grew up attending a boarding military school. So began the time of precision. The military teaches you to use your time wisely and here his lessons were first forged. He went on to Texas Tech and earned a Bachelors' Degree in Math. He joined the Army and started a family. He served 3 tours in combat in Vietnam, and had 3 children. His Army career took them on a grand adventure around the world sending them to Okinawa Japan, El Paso Texas, and Heidelberg Germany and all that Europe had to offer. He retired after 20 years in the Army, earning many awards and distinctions, the greatest being the Bronze Star with an Oak Leaf Cluster and a "V" device. This facet of his timeline was now complete. He had a short career in the private sector at the Pinkerton Detective Agency, but the pull of service to his country was too great to ignore, and so he started his career at NASA. He worked at NASA for 21 years with multiple responsibilities, which included managing the physical security for the Space Shuttle fleet. Throughout his military and civilian careers he still found time to be Dad. He cheered along the edge of the pool for his "Freedom Frog". He administered the Oath of Office as his daughter followed in his footsteps into the military. He helped his youngest daughter start her career, convincing her to follow her own travel bug. He was quick with advice, especially making sure his children knew the importance of self-sufficiency. You could always count on him to lend a hand, whether in his bluebomb truck or getting you out of a jam. Family was important to him. He started looking into his own family history. Erwin greatly enjoyed genealogy. He especially loved going to the National Archives, pouring over old census records, going on trips to gravesites and visiting relatives, and researching old family Bibles. He was able to trace his family tree back to Wales, to his 5th great grandfather, born in 1658. Another sure way to Erwin's heart was through the back yard, or the front, or the side. He loved being outside gardening growing monster tomatoes or trying to keep the squirrels out of the bird feeders. He loved his birds. Soon the time came for Grandchildren. Erwin loved spending time with them. Whether he was playing dark in the park or just chasing them outside, the time he spent with them gave him a magic smile and a special twinkle in his eye. After serving 21 years at NASA, Erwin retired and began his next adventure. He moved out to Abingdon and continued his zest for life and love of gardening. He enjoyed quiet walks with his wife and dog and settled into a comfortable retirement. This is a peek into the "time" we shared with Erwin. It is a challenge to sum up someone's life in such a small span of time. Those of us gathered here have known Erwin in many different ways. He has many titles. Some have known him their whole lives; some may have only known him the last few years. One thing everyone who knows him can agree is that his smile could melt your heart, he had wanderlust for adventure, and just like time, he was with us all too brief. As Ecclesiastes 3 says, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." Now it's time for us to say goodbye to Erwin von Graff Minter. Son, brother, soldier, husband, father, grandfather, friend, and coworker. Whatever you knew him as, whatever you called him, now it's time to let him rest. At Ease Sir, we have it from here."
  Person ID	I7510	America
  Last Modified	14 Dec 2022

  
  

  Father	Dr Russell Ellis Minter,   b. 19 Apr 1899, Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA d. 18 Mar 1936, Amarillo, Potter County, Texas, USA (Age 36 years)
  Mother	Myrtis Susan Jackson HANSON,   b. 25 Nov 1907, Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA d. 21 May 1965, San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, USA (Age 57 years)
  Family ID	F2917	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Mary Ruth ADAMS
  Children	1. David Allen Minter   2. Karla Denise Minter   3. Jennifer Suzanne Minter
  Family ID	F4103	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	12 Dec 2022

  
  

  Family 2	Francoise L CORNETT
  Family ID	F2919	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	12 Dec 2022

  
  

  Family 3	Elva Cecilia GARCIA
  Family ID	F2918	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	12 Dec 2022

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 9 Apr 1934 - Amarillo, Potter County, Texas, USA Death - 4 Jun 2012 - Perryville, Cecil County, Maryland, USA Burial - 29 Aug 2012 - Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S66] findagrave.com, November 2014 and later. [S504] Ruth Minter, December 2022.