Robert Lynn Edwards

After the Marines he went to Saudi Arabia working for Northroup as an Administrative Manager.  There he built up a nice “nest egg” from playing weekend poker games which helped to start his next career.  He also learned he didn't want to work with or for anyone but himself.
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.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Bob’s name to your favorite charity.