Ervin E. Erdman, 95, of The Villages, FL, passed away peacefully November 22, 2018 at his residence, with his family at his side, after a battle with cancer. Major Erdman was born and raised in Chicago, IL, son of Angeline Talend and John Frank Erdman.
He was a retired “Mustang” Army Major and NSA Intelligence Analyst and Manager with the Department of Defense, at Fort Meade, MD.
Before Coming to Florida, he was a long-time resident of Laurel, MD. In December 1941, at the age of 18, he enlisted into the Army during WWII, and served as a combat infantryman. As a Private, he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Combat Infantry Badge for action at Buna and Sanananda battle in New Guinea. Later in Australia he served in General MacArthur’s Guard, telling stories of Mrs. MacArthur, bringing him milk and cookies, while he was on duty. In China he served as personal bodyguard for General Gillem, the Theater Commander, and later as a CID investigator. After returning to the United States he studied Arabic at the Army DLI (Defense Language Institute) in Monterey, CA, where he achieved the highest grade recorded. After being commissioned, he served in Germany as an operations intelligence officer during the Russian Army invasion of Hungary and the Mideast Conflicts. He then capped his career by serving 2 years in Cyprus with a British Regiment. He rose through the ranks holding every grade form Private to Major, serving 24 years of military service.
After retiring from the Army, he joined the National Security Agency, where he served our country an additional 27 years in multiple cryptologic disciplines, until retiring in 1993.
Survivors include his wife of 22 years, Nikki Gregory Erdman of The Villages, FL and a daughter Nancy Shackelford (Steve) of Ft. White, FL. Three Grandchildren, Eric Davis (Alicia) of Newberry FL, Erin Lancaster of Orange Park, FL and Adam Davis (Emmalee) of Roswell, GA. Four Great Granddaughters, Amelia (10), Kendall (5), Porter (6 months) and Scarlett (5 months). Brother Rod Erdman (Elaine) of Orland Park, IL, a nephew Dale Erdman (Margaret) of Bartlett, IL and a niece Kim Tannehill of Tinley Park, IL, Ervin is preceded in death by his first wife, Nell Rhudy Erdman and their daughter Ann Marie Powers.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice of Marion County, P.O. Box 4860, Ocala, FL 34478 or Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation, FCS Foundation, 5204 Paylor Lane, Sarasota, FL 34240 Foundation@flcancer.com 941-677-7181.
A graveside service with Full Military Honors will be held on Friday, December 7, 1 p.m. at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Leesburg, FL
