Edwards, Don 1940-2025 St. Joseph, Mo.
Don was born on June 25, 1940, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where his father was maintenance manager at the Quaker Oats Plant.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Donald Arden Edwards and Helen Minnie Hoecker; by his wife of 50 years, Rosemary Ann Swope; a daughter, Mary Agnes; and a son, Sean Paul.
He is survived by five children, Mark (Vonda), Matt (Kathi), Elizabeth, Joe (Lori) and Sarah (Russel) Jones. He is also survived by 10 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. Don is also survived by his brother, Richard Lee Edwards Sr., of St. Joseph; his brothers-in-law, Lawrence Freeman Swope, of Amity, Missouri, and Thomas B. Croat, of St Louis; his sisters-in-law, Maxine Swope (nee Sonderegger), of Amity, and Patricia Croat (nee Swope), of St Louis.
Don and his mother lived in St Joseph with his maternal grandparents, Amelia (Karrasch) and Herman Hoecker during the war while his father was serving in the Navy. After the war, the family moved to Cedar Rapids where his father was working for Quaker Oats. When Don was 14 his parents divorced, and he moved with his mother and baby brother to St. Joseph where he attended Lafayette High School. He lettered in football for Lafayette and met the love of his life, Rosemary Swope, who was a student at the Convent of the Sacred Heart. When he was 17, he left high school after his junior year and joined the Air Force where he served as an airplane mechanic.
Just before he turned 18 in 1958, he married Rosemary and they moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where he was stationed.
Don left the Air Force and worked in St Joseph at the Dodge dealership as a mechanic. He bought a farm near Amity which he farmed for several years while continuing to work at Swift’s.
Between 1959 and 1965, Rosemary and Don had six children and adopted a seventh in 1969. While working full-time, with his own talented hands, he built a four bedroom ranch house and moved the family into it.
After the Dodge dealership, Don worked at Swifts Packing plant for many years but also worked part-time for Standard Electric, a business owned by his uncles, Ray and Elmer Hoecker.
When Swifts closed, Don worked at Robertson Tire for five years and then at Seitz Packing for two years. He quit there and worked at Standard Electric full-time for 15 years. When his uncles closed that business, Don started his own business, Edwards Appliance, which he ran for many years, selling, installing and servicing appliances. His children, Mark and Elizabeth, and several of his grandchildren also worked with him in the appliance business and continued to operate it following Don’s retirement. Don also started Edwards Automotive, servicing and repairing automobiles. Don’s son Matt continues to operate this business, now based in Savannah, Missouri.
After retirement Don continued to be active, working every day in the shop he built behind the house. There he mostly did woodworking and furniture restoration, but he continued servicing a few appliances.
Don was one of the most talented men who ever walked the earth. He had an inquiring mind and was interested in a myriad of subjects. He could fix anything. He was an electrician, a carpenter, a mechanic, a business man and a practical engineer. He loved woodworking and auto racing. He was also a loving father, husband, brother and friend.
Don will be missed by many, especially his children and grandchildren, who remember him as a loving father who not only provided for them but played with them and taught them many valuable skills.
Cremation under the direction of Simplify Cremations & Funerals. A private inurnment will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
Online guest book and obituary at www.simplifyfunerals.com. As published in the St. Joseph News-Press.
