Ditch Witch founder Ed Malzahn passed away Dec. 11. He was 94. Malzahn launched the first service line trencher, the Ditch Witch model DWP, in 1949 from a small machine shop in Oklahoma. Today, Charles Machine Works employs over 1,500 workers and has more than 175 dealerships and branches serving 195 countries. Malzahn’s granddaughter, Tiffany Sewell-Howard, who represents the fifth generation of the Malzahn family, serves as the executive chair. Malzahn is survived by his three children, nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.