Prudence Edwards Denney

Prudence Shand Edwards (“Prudy”) was born in Portland to Margaret Watt Edwards, teacher, homemaker and writer, and M. Lowell Edwards, engineer and inventor. She was the second of two children. Her brother, Miles J. Edwards, predeceased her in 2006. The family moved to Longview, Washington before Prudy started school, and she completed her elementary and secondary education in the public schools there, graduating from Robert A. Long High School in 1949. Her dear friend, Joyce Robertson (Schmaltz) remembers her as both the kindest and the smartest kid in their class, who was always willing to help others with their homework. She also attended Catlin Gabel School in Portland for one semester while living with her aunt and uncle, Helen and Clifford Zollinger.

Prudy started her college career at Willamette University as an English literature major, and joined the Pi Beta Phi sorority. After two years she transferred to Pomona College in Claremont, California, where in her last year she changed her major to Biology, and worked very hard to cram in the required courses. One Christmas vacation she famously returned home by train, accompanied by the smell of formaldehyde on her hands and from a bag containing her half-completed dissection project. She graduated from Pomona in 1953, pleasantly odor free.

On December 20 of that same year she married D. Duane Denney, a medical student at the University of Oregon Medical School, now OHSU. Their children were born in 1957 (Cameron) 1958 (Colin) and 1962 (Bronwen). Prudy and Duane lived in several Portland neighborhoods during their 58 years together, most notably on Oleson Road, Peacock Lane and Hewett Blvd. They spent a year and a half in Freiburg, Germany (1966-67) where the children were the only Ausländer in the village school and learned to speak German nearly accent free. In 1979, Prudy, Duane and Bronwen spent another 8 months in Ulm, Germany, where Prudy improved her German and Duane conducted medical research. Bronwen, with her blue eyes and blond hair, was one of only 3 girls in her sophomore class. Her German improved dramatically, helped by a pack of blue-eyed, blond-haired boys who invariably accompanied her home every day from school. They insisted they were only interested in improving their English!

Prudy was a lifelong member of the Mazamas, a member of St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, West Hills Racquet Club, and the Great Books Foundation. She and her mother wrote and edited several books on family genealogy, Portland and Orange County (California) history and Margaret's autobiography.

Prudy was kind, cheerful, generous of spirit, intelligent, and full of curiosity and wonder. She never ceased to be enthralled by the simple gifts of nature: a bird song, a squirrel chattering, the fog filling the valley below, the sweet smell of her beloved roses. She was truly a student of the natural world – to the very end of her life she loved the textures and colors of rocks, wildflowers and mossy twigs. She was a musician, an athlete, an outdoorswoman, a student of Shakespeare, and a deep and critical thinker. To truly sum up this rich and generous life would take volumes.

Prudy is survived by her husband, Duane, children Cameron (Gary), Colin (Sandy), and Bronwen (Albert), four granddaughters (Gwynneth and Avery Johnson, Abbie and Emmy Daigle, all of Portland), two step-grandsons (Jason and Matthew Hoe of Honolulu), and two adored Siamese cats, Olivia and Latte. She is sorely missed by all who knew her, and her loving and gracious spirit will never be forgotten.

A private graveside service was held. Prudy is interred next to her brother and parents, and near her grandparents and great-grandparents at the Friends Cemetery in Newberg. A Celebration of Life service will be held on July 18 at 7:00 pm at Grace Memorial Episcopal Church at 1535 NE 17th Ave., Portland, Oregon.

Arrangements under the direction of Pegg, Paxson & Springer Funeral Chapel, Beaverton, OR.