Edwin Julius Land, of Evansville, Indiana, died on July 24, 2009, in Champaign, Illinois, where he had been living for the past few months. He was born on October 23, 1917.

A native of Evansville, Mr. Land spent some of his early years living with his brother and grandmother in Carmi, Illinois, and attended grade school there. He returned to Evansville and lived with the Richard Rosencranz family while attending Bosse High School from which he graduated in 1935. In 1939 he married his high school sweetheart, Martha Jean Trusler, also a 1935 Bosse High School graduate.

For many years Mr. and Mrs. Land made their home in Evansville's Bayard Park neighborhood, weekending and then moving to Welborn Hills. Outdoor enthusiasts, the Lands enjoyed boating, canoeing, flying, gardening, mountain hiking, sailing, soaring, and travel. Together they explored the waterways and byways of North America. Retiring to Alabama after Mr. Land's career in industry, the oil business, and as a builder of dams and infrastructure, they again lived on the water and took pleasure in the wildlife, flora, and parade of seasons along the Bon Secour River and the Gulf of Mexico. Mr. Land, an avid collector of books and maps, loved poetry and reading and was always searching for insight regarding history and civilization. His curiosity and imagination sustained him until his last days.

Mr. Land was preceded in death by his wife Martha in 2002 and son David Scott Land in 2004. He is survived by daughter-in-law Barbara Thompson Land, grandson Theodore Leslie Land, granddaughter-in-law Melanie Kennedy Land, and great-granddaughter Olivia Paige Land, of Terre Haute, Indiana; son Roger Trusler Land and daughter-in-law Katherine Plummer Land of Montrose, Alabama; son Daniel Stuart Land and daughter-in-law Judy Graham Land of Livingston, Texas; grandson Michael Graham Land and granddaughter-in-law Lisa Castlebury of Eugene, Oregon; granddaughters Jennifer Elizabeth Land and Jessica Erin Land of Westminster, Colorado; daughter Catherine Land Rhodes and son-in-law Ralph William Rhodes of Champaign, Illinois; grandson Christopher Land Rhodes and granddaughter-in-law Nanette Sibayan Perez of Chicago; grandson Andrew Land Rhodes and granddaughter-in-law Megan Eliason Rhodes, and great-grandson Max Davis Rhodes of Memphis, Tennessee; and sister Johanna Land Reedy of Redmond, Washington. Several nieces and nephews also survive him.

A memorial service at mile 815.9 on the Ohio River will be held at a future date.