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Edwin Augur Dudley died peacefully Sept. 6 at the Masonicare Health Center in Wallingford following a brief illness. He and his wife Ruth had just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary and Ruth’s 99th birthday.

Ed was born April 27, 1927, to Horace Clifford and Ruby (Hill) Dudley of Guilford. Raised in the farmhouse on Clapboard Hill built by his great-grandfather, he attended Guilford public schools, graduating at age 16 as valedictorian of his class. Enrolling at Wesleyan University, he took a leave in April 1945 to enlist in the Navy. On his discharge in 1946, he resumed his studies at Wesleyan, graduating in 1947. He subsequently obtained a master of arts in teaching from Yale University.

While working as summer camp counselor for the Christian Activities Council in Hartford, Ed met Ruth Ann Milliken, an Ohio-born seminarian who was destined to be his life partner. The couple was married Sept. 2, 1949. Three children were born to them, Paul (1951), Anne (1954), and Tom (1958).

After an initial teaching stint in Wallkill, New York, Ed obtained a position at North Haven High School, where he taught mathematics for thirty years. As the couple made their home in North Haven and raised their three children, Ruth completed a degree at Yale Divinity School and began her career as a religious educator at the North Haven Congregational Church and later at the United Church of Christ Connecticut Conference. In the course of his professional life, Ed participated in a variety of teacher training and curriculum-development programs, co-authored a secondary mathematics textbook, and received a Yale University Outstanding Secondary School Teacher award, an honor conferred on five teachers nationwide.

On retirement in 1986, Ed and Ruth traveled to Izmir, Turkey, where he taught in a girls’ preparatory school for two years. This cross-cultural experience was a continuing inspiration for both of them. Ed remained active in retirement, serving on the board of the New Samaritan Corporation and other elderly and low-income housing entities. During this time the couple also embraced their new identity as grandparents, spending many enjoyable hours with their grandson Owen. Ruth and Ed travelled at frequent intervals, visiting family around the country and enjoying other tourist trips. Their final years together were spent at Ashlar Village in Wallingford and the affiliated Masonicare Health Center, where Ruth still resides.

Ed is survived by his loving wife; by children Paul (Carol) of Glastonbury, Anne (Alan Taft) of Portland, Oregon, and Tom (Fiona) of Weaverville, North Carolina; by his grandson Owen of Brooklyn, New York; as well as cousins, nieces, and nephews near and far. He will be remembered as a devoted husband, parent, and grandparent, a committed teacher and church member, and a generous supporter of community, social justice, and environmental causes. A lifelong appreciator of classical music, particularly the works of Mozart, he leaves an enduring legacy of love of music to his descendants. Ed’s quiet decency, inspired intellect, and generous spirit have touched many lives, and will not soon be forgotten.

A Memorial Service will be held Sept 19 at 11:00 a.m. at the North Haven Congregational Church, 28 Church St., North Haven. A reception will follow in the church fellowship hall. In lieu of floral gifts, memorial donations may be made to the North Haven Congregational Church, 28 Church St., North Haven, CT 06473; The Nature Conservancy, Attn: Treasury, 4245 N. Fairfax Dr., Ste. 100, Arlington, VA 22203; or the Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36104. Arrangements in the care of Guilford Funeral Home, 115 Church St., Guilford. To share a memory please visit www.GuilfordFuneralHome.com.