Edith R. Humler - Obituary

dith R. Smith Humler, “Edie”, of Riva, MD passed away on March 12, 2021 at her home, with family by her side, after being diagnosed less than two months ago with a very aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme. Born on August 14, 1941 in Curwensville, PA to the late Mearle W. and Kathryn Kephart Smith, Edie was the only daughter and middle child of three. She enjoyed growing up in a small town with a close-knit family and spending summers at Smith Park playing in the woods and in the Susquehanna River. Edie graduated from Curwensville High School in 1958 and went on to earn a BA in Secondary Education from Penn State in 1963 with vague plans to teach English and French. She was a member of Phi Mu sorority and an editor of the Collegian college newspaper. Upon graduating, she got a job with NSA after responding to an ad and scoring high on a test having no idea what NSA was. She moved to Washington, D.C. in 1964 and decided to get into computer programming because she knew it was one of the few careers where women got paid the same as men and begged her supervisor to let her take all the programming courses offered. She met her husband, Paul, a Senior Chief in the Navy, and what started out as just a work friendship and he ended up, to her surprise, being the love of her life. They married in 1966, and being a dedicated Navy wife and adventurer, she followed Paul to multiple station assignments including Cyprus, Italy, and Turkey before finally settling in Maryland in 1975, where they lived and raised their family. In 1977 she decided to return to work and took a job with the Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute (IITRI), supporting a DOD center in Annapolis, MD, programming in Assembly, FORTRAN, COBOL, and then finding her true love, working with database management systems. She was the first woman to break through the technical ranks to become a Science Advisor. She went on to become VP for Program Development and in 1995 received the YWCA Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN) award. Upon retiring, she and Paul traveled the world and enjoyed many long cruises together, including two world cruises. Cruising was a great compromise for them. Paul, who was very disabled in later years, was never happier than sitting on the deck staring out at the water with a cigar while Edie would join all the shore excursions, even taking a helicopter tour through the glaciers of Antarctica. In addition to traveling, Edie’s favorite activities revolved around her grandchildren. She attended all of their school events and soccer games and spent as much time as possible with them at her condo in Ocean City and on their annual trips to Deep Creek or Florida for New Year’s. She also enjoyed writing her memoirs, activities at the Senior Center, and spending time with her many friends and neighbors. She was a proud member of the HDC (Hard Drinking Club), a self-named supportive group of women who remained close friends for over 40 years and got together often for happy hours. They even got together during COVID for driveway parties and zoom sessions. She will be remembered as being a career woman ahead of her time, a devoted companion and caregiver to her husband, a loyal friend, and most of all a wonderful mom and grandmother, known as “Nana” or “Nena”. Edie was preceded in death by her loving husband of 54 years, Paul; her beloved son, Michael “Mike”; her brother, Mearle “Skip” Smith; her sister-in-law, Trudie Smith, and daughter-in-law, Patricia “Patty” Greenwald Humler. She is survived by her children, Paul Humler, Jr. and Kathryn “Kathy” (Phil) Carino; her five grandchildren, Kaitlyn and Nathan Carino, Seth, Mason and Julia Humler; her brother, Terry (Jacquie) Smith and several nieces and nephews. Family and friends are invited to celebrate Edie's life at the Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater, MD on Saturday, March 20 from 10 am until her funeral service begins at 11 am. Interment will follow at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church Cemetery in West River, MD. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Glioblastoma Foundation (glioblastomafoundation.org). Condolences may be made online by visiting the link on this page. To view a recording of Mrs. Humler's service, please click HERE