Edgar Kirton Muhlhausen

Muhlhausen—Edgar Kirton Muhlhausen, 97, on September 26, 2016, in Moravian Village in Bethlehem, Pa. Kirt was born on June 11, 1919, in Brooklyn, N.Y. He graduated from Brooklyn Technical School and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering at Lehigh University. During World War II he fulfilled his military service by teaching at Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey, where he married his first wife, Rezan Erdilek. He taught at Lehigh University for about ten years before returning to Turkey to teach at Robert College. After his divorce in 1961, he returned to Bethlehem and taught at Lafayette College before working as a project engineer for the city of Bethlehem, where he remained until his retirement. He joined Lehigh Valley Meeting in Bethlehem in 1964 and married Mary Lou Conrad under the care of the meeting that year. They adopted his daughters and her son and daughter. He was an active member as long as he was able: a hard worker who contributed greatly to the life of the meeting both through his vocal ministry and his work caring for the building and grounds. He and Mary Lou were talented artisans who were active in Historic Bethlehem, Burnside Plantation, Kemerer Museum, and Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm. Friends enjoyed visiting with them and watching them weave straw hats and baskets. He appreciated nature, enjoyed travel, and showed an active interest in others and in the world.

Friends will remember and cherish Kirt’s gentle manner and his spirit of love and simplicity, many recalling how he and Mary Lou initiated the practice of bringing their own plates and silverware to meeting picnics to reduce the use of disposable products. He shared the Light and love with all he met.

Kirt’s first wife, Rezan Erdilek, died before him, and he and Mary Lou were preceded in death by their daughter, Adrienne M. Shiner-Hursh, in 2003. He is survived by four children, Caroline M. Kelley, Margaret J. Cistone, Eric C. Muhlhausen, and Katherine M. McIntyre; eight grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

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