Laird Charles Towle

Laird Charles Towle passed peacefully at home on April 20, 2022. Laird was born in Exeter, NH on September 13, 1933 to the late Wilma (Buzzell) and Gerald Towle. In 1962 he completed his formal education with a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Virginia. He worked in that field for twenty years, principally at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., where he was president and treasurer of the NRL Federal Credit Union for many years.

In 1968 he became seriously interested in genealogical research, and from 1970 to 1975 published a surname periodical called “The Boswell-Buswell-Buzzell Genealogist.” In 1969 he was co-founder of the Prince George’s County Maryland Genealogical Society along with George Ely Russell, Shirley Landon Wilcox, and others.

Becoming interested in genealogical book publishing Laird and his wife, Marlene, founded Heritage Books, Inc. in 1977. In 2002, he sold the business to Craig Scott and settled into retirement; spending his time on his hobbies: genealogy, gardening, traveling, reading, boating, archeology and an appreciation of the arts.

He is preceded in death by his eldest daughter, Karen Ackermann (1957-2020) and grandson, Ethan Wolfinger (2005).

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Marlene; two sons Joel (Kimberly Sanders) and Glenn, his daughter Leslie Wolfinger (David); and seven grandchildren Stacey, Angela, Amber, Brandon, Shawn, and Desere Wolfinger and Finnian Towle; and three great grandchildren Nicholas Nerpiol, Michaela Stephenson, and Ezekiel Wolfinger.

 In lieu of flowers please make a donation to Parkinson’s (https://www.michaeljfox.org/donate), Chesapeake Hospice of the Chesapeake (Make a Secure Online Donation | Hospice of the Chesapeake (hospicechesapeake.org),  443-837-3385) or a charity of your choice.