Edwin Derrick

Edwin Derrick was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in both his approach to life and in his various relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of "stick-to-it" attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Edwin was realistic about life and was always at the ready, prepared to take on any responsibility that faced him.

Edwin came into the world on August 18, 1917 in Seattle, Washington. He grew up in Seattle as well. Edwin experienced many things while growing up. He was the son of Julia and Leo. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

As a young child, Edwin was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Instead, he was willing to wait to be asked to join in. When asked, he would generally jump at the chance.

Edwin developed a variety of interests as a child. And many of the things he enjoyed doing, he did quite well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it.

Though he wasn’t an overtly outgoing child, he did manage to be involved in a number of different areas. He really enjoyed fishing.

Edwin was somewhat reserved about his relationships, but those who became his friends understood that he was true and loyal.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Edwin as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. He always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him. He graduated from Queen Anne High School in 1935. Edwin's favorite subject was math. While he was serious about his classwork, he also took time to get involved in other aspects of high school as well.

Though the teen years were primarily focused on education, there were plenty of things going on outside of school for Edwin. Because he was so conscientious, Edwin began to understand the meaning of responsibility at an early age. No matter what he was responsible for, he always made sure to be painstakingly meticulous.

College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Edwin handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, he was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his course work and assignments. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. He was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed both his professors and his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served him well throughout college. Edwin earned his Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering. Edwin’s favorite classes in college were engineering and survey.

There was also life outside of the classroom for Edwin during his college years. Edwin was on the rowing team at the University of Washington.

College not only opened up a new world to explore for Edwin, it also allowed him to meet many new and different people. He didn’t always click with everyone, but with those he did manage to connect, he developed trusting friendships. He managed to do a little traveling during those breaks in classes.

He was often cautious and careful about the people with whom he became close. There had to be some kind of spark for a relationship to develop. But there were more than sparks, there was magic when Edwin met Marie Barbara Ludmille Miller.

Being very traditional, Edwin wanted to make sure everything about the upcoming wedding was just right.

The couple exchanged vows on April 18, 1941 in Ballard. This marked the beginning of their time together as a family.

Following the ceremony, Barbara and Edwin managed to spend some time together on their honeymoon.

Compassionate and devoted to Barbara, Edwin held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Barbara, and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy, no matter where they called home.

Edwin brought the same traditional values by which he lived his life to how he raised his own family. He and Barbara had four children two sons, Ray and John and two daughters, Carol and Nancy. He was a good parent, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. He was also a walking schedule. He always seemed to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. The children would often fill Edwin with pride and joy because of their accomplishments.

Edwin tried his best to make sure the children were raised in a warm and nurturing environment. He was also very traditional about the holidays and vacations on which the family went. Later on in life, he was also blessed with seven grandchildren, Siri, Heidi, Beckie, Emily, Sara, Sheryl and Derek.

Edwin greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same work ethic from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in just about every situation; this included small groups, one-on-one situations as well as solo tasks. He enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy or unclear information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, he was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to details, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was working as a civil engineer at the Seattle Army Corps of Engineers.

Edwin worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary to meet objectives. He received a Decoration for Excellent Civilian Service from the Corps of Engineers. He was willing to do whatever it took to get the job done, even if that meant going the extra mile.

Enlisted in the US Navy during World War II and served in the South Pacific Theater of the war. Edwin achieved the final rank of Ensine. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Edwin seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job at hand.

Edwin liked to experience things firsthand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies. He was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Edwin always tried to set aside a certain amount of time for working on his hobbies. Some of these hobbies included playing pinnacle and bridge, gardening and fishing. Edwin took vacations to Costa Rica, Hawaii, Lake Sheridon in British Columbia and LakeTaho and Reno.

Edwin enjoyed rowing and running track in college. He also enjoyed watching his favorite athletes and sporting events, especially all sports from the U-Dub, especially football and baseball.

When Edwin looked ahead toward retirement he did his best to be fully prepared. The day for him to leave the workforce came in 1980. He had begun planning retirement far in advance, so everything was set out well when the time came. He retired in Seattle in the home they built in 1952.

Even in retirement, Edwin continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He continued fishing, taking vacations, doing yard work and he even built a log cabin in Canada. He also did some construction jobs.

Edwin Derrick left us on April 5, 2011. He passed away at Judson Park in Des Moines, Washington. He was 84. The cause of death was from Parkinson's Disease, and he suffered multiple strokes. He is survived by four children: Ray, John, Carol and Nancy; seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Services were handled by Yarington's Funeral Home.

Many would say that "commitment" is a word that best describes the life of Edwin Derrick. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from others. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.