Donald O. Edwards' Obituary
Donald O. Edwards was born June 15th, 1924 in Tacoma, Washington. He was the second of two children born to Robert and Erie Edwards. As a boy, he attended Clover Park High School and began his career in the Merchant Marines/Coastguard after graduation. Throughout his military service, he worked with liberty ships, transported oil across the Atlantic to Europe, and also spent time in the South Pacific, Greece, Russia, and Australia. It was during this time that he met and married Maxine Mcgill. The pair later welcomed their three children; Roberta, Gene, and Sheryl. After the war was over, Don became a carpenter and was a proud member of the Lather/Carpenter’s union. He worked on many construction projects in the greater pacific northwest. The family fondly remembers one summer when he was helping in the construction of the Tillamook Cheese Factory, and the whole family spent the summer camping on the beach. You may be familiar with some of the other projects Don worked on in the area, including many local schools and St. Joseph Hospital. Don was a Presbyterian and a deacon in the church in Steilacoom. Later in life, he met and married Jean Colton, and cared deeply for his two step children; Rene Swanson and Kathleen Oliver. The two were very happy together and especially enjoyed their retirement years. After Don’s retirement in 1986, he and Jean snow-birded to Apache Junction, Arizona, for 15 years. Don Joked that the year of his retirement was “the last year rain would fall on his bald head in Washington!”. Eventually Jean’s health declined and they had to stop, but Don always maintained that he wanted to snowbird “As long as he was looking at the grass from the green side!”. During this time, he enjoyed painting, until someone came along and said, “Let’s go golfing!”. He had a great sense of humor, loved animals, and often donated to the Humane Society. He was also a hard and dedicated worker who did not miss a day, a good provider who loved his family, and a really good dad. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jean in 2005. He is loved and will be dearly missed by his children Roberta Diamond, Gene Edwards, and Sheryl Althauser, Rene Swanson, and Kathleen Oliver, and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.
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