William Keith "Woody" Edwards

William Keith “Woody” Edwards, age 60, passed away on Thursday, November 9, 2023. Keith was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in March and faced his illness head on with bravery and dignity. He was born on January 19, 1963 in Washington, D.C. to William Ronald Edwards (deceased) and Therese Thomas. He grew up in the Potomac area and has resided in Gaithersburg since 1995.

He attended Winston Churchill High School and then graduated from Towson State University in 1985. Keith had a 30+ year career with Nationwide Insurance as a sales agent. He gave his clients excellent customer service and was always available to help talk people through their insurance questions or concerns. Baseball was his passion and he began playing as a young boy. He continued playing until his early 50s, playing in high level adult leagues attending tournaments in Cuba, Florida and Arizona. Keith was also a varsity assistant coach at Good Counsel High school from 2005-2010. He then switched over to coaching his daughter’s softball teams, spending many years with the Maryland Cyclones travel team. He was always willing to help any young player work on their hitting skills in his backyard batting cage. After retiring from playing baseball, he took up ice hockey and played for the past decade.

He married Catherine Ann Fairley on January 13, 1996 at St. Jane DeChantal Church, Bethesda, MD. He is survived by his children, Allison, Jacqueline and John (JJ). His first child Vincent, passed away in 2005. He also leaves behind step mother, Charlotte Edwards, sisters Ronee Lemanski (Paul) and Jeninne Hale (Mickey) along with numerous nieces and nephews and many dear relatives and friends.

In his spare time he enjoyed playing the drums, woodworking, watching sports, reading, collecting coins, yard work, sewing and hanging in his mancave. For ten years, he ran a memorial golf tournament for his son, Vincent. His efforts raised thousands of dollars for Children’s National Medical Center.

A Mass and celebration of life will be celebrated at St. Jane DeChantal Church on December 16, 2023, at 10:30am. 9701 Old Georgetown Road Bethesda, MD. Afterwards there will be a gathering at the Rock Creek Mansion. 5417 W Cedar Lane Bethesda, MD 20814.

Memorial donations may be made to Montgomery Hospice & Prince George’s Hospice. 1355 Piccard Drive, Suite 100, Rockville, MD 20855. https://montgomeryhospice.org/giving/