Melvia VanLandingham Hawkins, of Marriottsville, died May 4, 2009, at Howard County General Hospital. She was 98.

Born June 7, 1910, in Baltimore, she was the daughter of Logan and Mary Cunningham VanLandingham. She was the wife of Thomas Lee Hawkins, who died June 26, 1983.

Mrs. Hawkins had been a nurse at the former Henryton Hospital Center. She was a longtime member of Union Memorial United Methodist Church, in Baltimore.

She was preceded in death by all of her siblings.

A funeral service was held on May 8, 2009, at the Union Memorial United Methodist Church, in Baltimore, with the Rev. Esther M. Holimon officiating. Interment was at Crest Lawn Memorial Gardens.

Edward O. Darwin

Edward O'Donnell Darwin, of Sykesville, died May 7, 2009, at Carroll Hospice, in Westminster. He was 76.

Born Sept. 15, 1932, in Newark, N.J., he was the son of Joseph A. Darwin and Elizabeth Stalzer Darwin. He was a graduate of St. Benedict Preparatory School, in New Jersey, and Niagara University, in New York. He was in the U.S. Army and served as first lieutenant in Germany.

In 1956 he began working at Chubb and Son Inc., in New York City. His career as an insurance executive included several underwriting assignments in New York, West Virginia, Colorado and New Jersey. He retired after 38 years as chairman and president of Chubb Custom Market.

In 1955, while campaigning for Eisenhower and the Young Republicans Club in New Jersey, he met his wife, Mary Ann Hahne. They married in 1957 in Orange, N.J., and were married for 49 years.

Mr. Darwin and his wife lived in Maplewood, N.J., for more than 18 years, where they raised their four children. He was an avid history buff and a music lover. Throughout his life he enjoyed playing the piano for friends and family.

He retired to Severn Lakes, N.C., with his wife in 1997, where he enjoyed watching the wildlife and seeing his grandchildren play. He lived in Severn Lakes for 10 years before moving to Fairhaven, in Sykesville.

Mr. Darwin was preceded in death by his parents and his wife.

He is survived by his two sons and their wives, Stephen H. Darwin and Sheila, of Morris Township, N.J., and Mark E. Darwin and Kristen, of Monkton; two daughters, Elizabeth A. Lancos and her husband, Kevin, of Ellicott City, and Kathryn R. Davis and her husband, Charles, of Raleigh, N.C.; a sister-in-law, Rev. Ruth O. Hahne, of Ocala, Fla.; and ten grandchildren.

A funeral service was held May 12, 2009, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, with the Rev. Erik Arnold officiating.

Memorial donations may be made to Carroll Hospice, 292 Stoner Ave., Westminster, MD 21157 or to the Arthritis Foundation at www.arthritis.org.

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