Meet Your Neighbor: Ed Hudson

Ed Hudson is a familiar name in and around Winfield, but how well do you know Ed? Some of you very well and some not so much. No matter which category you fall into at the end of this story, we hope everyone gets to know Ed a little better.

Ed was born at Burlington Hospital on December 2, 1935 to Dean and Wilma (Cummings) Hudson. He had two siblings, William and Lawrence. Ed was the eldest of the three siblings and the only one still living.

He met his future wife, Shirley Nelson, in the 6th grade while attending Morning Sun School, and they were married at Morning Sun Methodist Church on December 4, 1953, after Ed graduated from Morning Sun High School that spring. They became the parents of six children, Kenneth, Keith, Karl, Kyle (deceased), Konnie, and Kathy. They have 14 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

They have lived on their farm about three miles southeast of Winfield for 60 years. They recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. Ed continued his education at Greer’s School of Mechanics in Chicago. After graduation, Ed began a long and varied series of careers.

From 1954 to 1956, Ed worked as a farm hand for Talmage Mehaffy and his son John. Ed began farming his own land in 1956 by renting 80 acres from a Davidson, the same owner as his father-in-law Omar Nelson. He also farmed land owned by Mayor Leland McCash and began farming his own land until his retirement in 1990.

He began working in Winfield with Officers Bill Ibbotson and Terry Wasson. In 1974, Ed embarked on a second career when he was sworn in as a deputy marshal in Winfield. He became friends with Sheriff Droz and in 1980, he became the fifth member of the sheriff’s posse.

In 1986, at the age of 50, Ed enrolled and graduated from the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy and became a full-time Henry County Deputy, a position he held until 1992. After working four years at the LW Farm Service, Ed returned to law enforcement and served as a full-time Winfield police officer until his retirement in 2001. When asked what his favorite job was, Ed replied, “The job I was doing at the time.”

“I was always interested in flying,” said Ed, whose interest was piqued when Durbin Chrisinger took him for a ride in his Cub.

In 1972, Ed earned his pilot’s license at Mt. Pleasant. He rented the planes he flew from Ray Brazil, and there were a Piper 140, a Cessna 172, and a 182, but his favorite plane was a Piper 280. Besides taking his parents to Nebraska to visit the tenants of a farm and to observe ditches and drainage, he took most of his family along on various occasions for various reasons. The only land lover was Shirley who suffered from motion sickness in flight.

Ed also carried passengers that few private pilots have the chance to carry (and perhaps don’t want to!). Ed transported prisoners from prison to prison. Ed said he “never had any problems with prisoners. They all had their own problems,” he said. The fact that each prisoner wore a transport belt and was accompanied by an officer during the flight may also have helped to keep the peace on board!

“No, but I got close,” Ed replied when asked if he ever had to draw his gun.

Ed refused to share any of his unusual adventures while enforcing the law, explaining that due to the circumstances, he would not share them “Due to the need to protect the guilty.” However, Ed did share one unusual incident that occurred under his watch. In the middle of the night, Ed was called to Mt. Pleasant to assist in the arrest of a suspect who was seen wandering around the Iowa Wesleyan campus.

A large and elusive man, it took four police officers to capture him and place him in the back seat of a police car where he was taken to spend the night in the pen. With his farming background, Ed made short work of the suspect. He told the other officers to shine their flashlights in the offender’s eyes while Ed snuck up and caught him. How or why Mr. Pig ended up wandering the campus has never been revealed, and he was never charged with a crime. He was released the next morning.

Before and after his retirement, Ed was involved in home and community service. He made each of his grandchildren a solid walnut rocking horse. Ed served on the Winfield Benevolent Fire Department for 38 years. He was a member of the Henry County Farm Bureau, serving as vice president for two years, president for two years, and a voting delegate for three years.

From 1968 to 1970, Ed and Shirley were active in the Louisa Center Community Church. After its closure, the church was moved to Wapello where it is on display at the museum. Since 1970, Ed has been a member of the Winfield United Methodist Church where you will find Ed and Shirley most Sunday mornings. When asked if he would like to share any advice, he replied, “No.” So while Ed’s life story will continue, this article will not! Thanks to Ed for being a good sport and sharing his story with us.