Robert Lynn Edwards
Robert Lynn Edwards passed away from advanced Parkinson’s disease at the age of 73. He died in the early morning hours of July 20, 2022 with his wife, Susan, at his side. Bob was often a man of few words. Since he wrote obituaries for the Tribune at one time, he was asked if he would write his own. To which he replied, "Born, died, everything else in between life and death was fun.”
Bob was born in Salt Lake City on a snowy October 22, 1948 to June and Cliff Edwards. His childhood was typical of the day - playing baseball or just being outside with friends in Rose Park. His intelligence, charm, wit and athletic prowess helped him become the West High Sophomore Class President and quarterback of the football team. The 0-8 season helped him “build character”. He graduated a Sterling Scholar and attended the University of Utah for two years before leaving in 1968 to enlist in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam war. He would later go back to the U for degrees in finance and mass communication.
In addition to his usual work in the Marines, he was a journalist writing interesting articles at both Camp Pendleton and Kaneohe Hawaii until his discharge in 1970.
His next years were spent with friends, making investments and playing poker. He toured around the country in the Blue Goose, a 1954 Sunbeam bread truck that had been converted into a camper by a friend and his father. Hunting soon turned to photography as Bob decided he no longer wanted to kill. He spent winters in southern California being his “own man” and a confirmed bachelor. Until one fine day when he met Susan.
Besides sharing a middle name (Lynn), Bob and Susan’s shared love of nature created an instant bond. Their ongoing relationship was solidified after a two week camping trip ending at Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon. After that trip in 1982 they moved in together. They were married during the autumnal equinox under a mango tree at the Maui Heavenly Hana Inn in 1985 by a local Hawaiian LDS couple, the only witnesses.
Bob was a voracious reader of history and nonfiction. His daily reading of the Wall Street Journal was an immense help to his becoming a successful investor. However his true passion lay with woodworking and nature. He loved biking and hiking with Susan and good friends, identifying rocks, flowers and birds along the way. He was always looking for new ways to repurpose things and to help make life easier for those he loved. When asked at parties what he did for a living, rather than say he was an investor, he answered that he was a cabinet maker. The subsequent attempt to hire him to make cabinets put a swift end to that. Though he had a "tough guy" reputation, his heart was very sensitive and his attachments deep. For many years he had "2nd Tuesday" lunches at Tony Caputo’s with men he had grown up with. This was considered sacred time.
He worked hard to be a father to Susan’s only child, Carolyn. He was so proud when she, too, became a Sterling Scholar and studied abroad in Sweden. She married a Swede and their children gave Bob a new role and purpose as “Morfar”, Swedish for mother's father (grandpa). He looked forward to and cherished all the time he spent with his grandchildren.
Bob was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2008, but in retrospect, showed signs of it years earlier. His gradual inability to hike and walk in nature or even in the neighborhood with his friends and family was devastating to all. He never stopped trying and even when his mind was severely altered from disease progression, he worked very hard to maintain a routine of daily living, which became both increasingly difficult and heartbreaking.
Bob is preceded in death by his mother June Edwards, father Cliff Edwards, brothers Randy and Dick Edwards. He is survived by his wife, Susan Edwards, sister Karen Kelly (Richard/“Dick”), brother Jerry Edwards (Joyce), stepdaughter Carolyn Manis Sorensen (Tobias) and grandchildren Gabe and Linnea Sorensen.