Edward "Ed" A. Waidley Jr.

Edward "Ed" A. Waidley, Jr. passed from time and space into eternity on July 8, 2026, at the age of 83, just shy of his 84th birthday. He was born on August 23, 1942, in Lancaster to the late Edward Sr. and Dorothy (Stamm) Waidley and became a lifelong resident of Manheim Township after his family moved to Delp Road just before he entered junior high.

In junior high, Ed was a member of the puppet club - a memory he recalled fondly. He swam competitively in local clubs and served as captain of the swim team in high school. He also sang in the choir and county chorus, performed in both the junior and senior class plays, and spent his teenage summers as a lifeguard at Overlook Pool.

Ed loved the water and adventure. After graduating from Manheim Township in 1960, he enlisted that fall in the U.S. Navy, proudly serving on active duty from 1960 to 1964 and in the Naval Reserve until 1966. He completed boot camp at the Naval Training Center in San Diego and UDT Replacement Training at nearby Coronado.

He served on temporary additional duty (TAD) aboard the destroyer USS Agerholm (DD-826) during her deployments to the Far East, traveling to Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, and Subic Bay in the Philippines during the early years of the Vietnam era. Trained as a rescue swimmer, Ed dove into open seas to recover downed pilots when planes went into the water during carrier operations. He was also a qualified coxswain, entrusted with the prestigious duty of maintaining the captain's gig and piloting the commanding officer safely to and from shore.

Ed rose to Boatswain's Mate Third Class (BM3) - the Navy's oldest rating, dating to 1775, and one of its most demanding. As a boatswain's mate, he did the Navy's most hands-on work: handling lines and ground tackle, rigging for replenishment at sea, and crewing small boats - hard, physical seamanship performed on open decks in every kind of weather the Pacific could deliver. His final duty assignment was aboard the amphibious transport dock USS Raleigh (LPD-1). Of his four-year enlistment, Ed spent three years and four months at sea. On November 13, 1964, he was honorably discharged from active duty at the U.S. Naval Amphibious Base in Little Creek, Virginia. After completing his Reserve obligation, Ed attended Millersville State College, where he served as a water safety instructor - carrying the water skills the Navy gave him into the rest of his life.

Trading the open ocean for the open road, Ed found in long-haul truck driving the same things he had loved in the Navy: independence, hard work, and a new horizon every day. Known as the Bandit II, he spent 44 years in the trucking industry, logging millions of miles with a safe driving record, before officially retiring at 82 - still running circles around protégés half his age. He loved driving truck because, in his words, "I liked the places I went and the people I met."

Ed enjoyed tinkering with his cars as much as driving them. Among his most notable were three Austin-Healeys (1961, 1963, and 1967), a 1963 Sunbeam Tiger, a 1965 Shelby GT350, a 1965 Ford Mustang, a Ford Falcon, a Mazda MX-5, and a Mazda 3.

Ed was known for his stoic personality and rough exterior - and equally for his tender heart. He either liked you and would give you the shirt off his back, or he didn't and wouldn't give you the time of day.

He loved his two daughters and was most proud of his contribution to their college education. Throughout his life he kept several Siamese cats, whom he considered family, and he was a champion for animals, children, and wounded service members. He roller skated and bowled, celebrating his 60th birthday with a roller-skating party and his 80th with a bowling party. He appreciated music: the Bee Gees and Olivia Newton-John were two of his favorite artists, but outranking them all was Billy Idol.

Ed became a born-again believer in Jesus Christ at the age of 82 and was baptized the day before his passing. He wasn't shy about joining in worship and singing hymns at church.

Ed was a pioneer on IMVU, a 3D avatar-based social network and virtual world, where he met and befriended people from all over the world. He was also a movie lover and collector who enjoyed sci-fi, action, and adventure films.

In recent years, Ed could be found nearly every Saturday morning at the Bridgeport Diner with his daughters and family, requesting extra-hot baked oatmeal, decaf coffee with skim milk, three lemons for his water, and extra diced tomatoes for his omelet.

His sparkling blue eyes and high-octane voice will be missed - as will the smile on his face whenever his daughters walked into the room.

Ed is survived by his two daughters, Yvette Lee and her husband, Josh, and Brigette Guyer and her husband, Tom Jr.; two grandsons, Brady and Trey; a brother, Scott Waidley; and a sister, Kim Martin and her husband, Ken. He was predeceased by his brother, Greg Waidley.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to the doctors and nurses of The Heart Group; the staff and nurses of Hospice of Central PA; the nurses and staff of LGH Penn Medicine's 6th Floor Frederick unit; and Maggie, RN, from Penn Medicine In-Home Health Care.

A graveside service with military honors will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, July 24, 2026, at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, 60 Indiantown Gap Road, Annville, PA 17003. Those who wish to join the funeral procession may meet at the Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home and Crematory, 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA 17543, at 11:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Ed's name may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project at woundedwarriorproject.org.