Charles Edwards

Charles Wayne Edwards

Charles Wayne Edwards left this life unexpectedly on Sunday, March 27, 2016. He was 56 years old. Charles was born to Emory Jackson and Jane (VanNest) Edwards in Daytona Beach, FL. He was the third son of their five children.

He graduated from Cradock High School in Portsmouth, VA before joining the U.S. Air Force. He was trained as an aircraft electrician and was stationed in Guam, Key West, FL and Hill Air Force Base. He served both active duty and reserve.

He attended Weber University and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Finance and later a Certificate in Drafting. During his initial studies there he met and later married Tina Marie Allred of Clearfield, UT. They had two sons. After almost 23 years of marriage, they amicably divorced.

Charles was employed as an F-16 Aircraft Electrician and Total Quality Management instructor at Hill AFB. In 2008, he met Melody Drechsler Walter. They were married in the Bahamas in 2010. He retired from Hill AFB in August, 2015 after 31 years of service.

Charles loved the West and enjoyed anything to do with the outdoors, including hiking, horseback riding, camping, canoeing, fishing and ATVing throughout Utah, Idaho and Montana. He was also a talented woodworker who created beautiful birdhouses, intarsia inlays, decorative boxes and hand carved figures. He was a SCUBA enthusiast who recently refreshed his PADI Advanced Open Water certification in preparation for an upcoming trip to Kauai. He loved to travel, and considered Venice, Italy his favorite place on earth. In retirement, he enjoyed gardening, winemaking and puttering, as well as thrift store hunting.

Charles had an exceptional curiosity for knowledge. He studied politics, religion, wars and government. He loved history and enjoyed building his library with many biographies that he had the intention of reading in his retirement. Nature fascinated him. He will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his wife, Melody; brother Russell (Leslie) Edwards of Norfolk, VA; sisters Anne (Rick) Austin of Pensacola, FL and Kathy (Joe) Taylor of Windsor, VA; sons Ryan (Keely) Edwards of North Ogden, UT and Patrick Edwards of Clearfield, UT; one grandson, Grayson Edwards.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, April 8, 2016 at Lindquist's Roy Mortuary, 3333 W 5600 S, Roy, UT. Visitation with family and friends at 1:30 pm with services beginning at 2:00 pm. Military honors will be bestowed.

Charles loved flowers. If you prefer, donations in his name may be made to your local PBS or NPR station.