E. H. “Ed” Land, Jr. October 18, 1926 - June 30, 2016

Elvert Homer Land Jr., age 89, passed away Thursday, June 30, 2016 in his home surrounded by his loving family. He was born October 18, 1926 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was the son of E. Homer Land, a minister in the Church of the Nazarene who himself was the son of a minister. At the age of 17 E.H., as he was known to most, joined the Navy and served in the Pacific during WW II. He married Peggy Underwood during the war and when it was over, at the young ages of 20, they began a family that would grow to four children, three of whom survive him in death. Rodney Michael Land of Georgetown, Texas, Peggy Diane Stephenson of Kansas City, Missouri and Joseph Edward Land who lives in Ozark, Missouri. A third son, David Alden Land, was killed in January of 1969 while serving as a Riverine in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. A child of the Great Depression, E. H., wanting to learn a trade that would endure good times and bad, apprenticed as a tailor. He perfected his craft and after several years of managing tailoring departments for several large menswear stores he began his own business in the basement of his rented house in Wichita, Kansas. His business grew into a multi-million dollar enterprise manufacturing cut-and-sewn products that included military garments. He supplied custom tailored flight suits for the Navy’s Blue Angels, and the original Astronauts, including the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong. Ultimately his love of “making things” led him to plastic molded items and he became a pioneer in the production of motorcycle helmets made from Polycarbonate plastic, becoming the largest maker of motorcycle helmets in the world. After an illustrious business career, E. H. and his wife retired to his current home in Ozark. Peggy, his wife of 55 years, passed away in 2005. E. H. remarried in 2007 and is survived by his wife, Carol Jean (Schlicht). She was friends of Peggy and E.H. since 1956 and was the widow of one of Land’s dearest friends. E. H. is also survived by 11 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren. Visitation for his friends in Ozark, Missouri is scheduled for Friday, July 1, 2016, 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. in Barnes Family Funeral Home, located at 1700 South 15th Ave., Ozark, Missouri. A graveside service and internment will be at Lakeview Memorial Gardens, 12100 E. 13th St., Wichita, Kansas, 10:00 A.M., Wednesday, July 6, 2016. Online condolences may be shared at www.barnesfamilyfunerals.com.