Edward "Big Ed" Harold Wroten Jr.

Edward Wroten Jr., better known to many as Eddie, passed away peacefully on the evening of December 26, 2020. He was born August 4, 1949 to Edward Sr. and Florence Wroten in San Francisco, California. As a child while his father was in the Navy, his family lived in Hawaii, Alaska and finally settled in Portland, Oregon. He attended Immaculate Heart Catholic Schools and Jefferson High School while in Portland, Oregon, and later briefly attended Oregon State University and Riverside Community College.

Eddie enlisted in the United States Air Force and traveled to various bases including Thailand, Vietnam, Texas and California. He was very proud of his service and honored to be a Veteran while often retelling his past adventures about his military buddies. While stationed in California, he met and married Evelyn Kendrick on May 14, 1977. They danced through the Disco and Funk era, with one of his favorite songs being Atomic Dog by George Clinton. From their union, they had four children - Reggie, Derrick, Rafael and Desireé. While raising his family, he worked for Pep Boys as a manager then onto the California Department of Corrections as a Counselor, where he retired after 27 years of employment. His coworkers nicknamed him Big Ed as he was loved by all and known as a big teddy bear that gave great advice.

After Edward and Evelyn separated, he met Kathy Goss Carroll who adored him dearly. They shared a love for Disneyland, traveling to nature-based scenic areas, and spending time with family and friends over a good barbeque. He lived with Kathy and her family for over 15 years until his passing.

Eddie was a prankster and loved to tease his children. He was a loyal Raider fan and always had some sort of Raider attire on. During game time, he would trash talk in the family group chat making everyone laugh. He was a Star Trek Trekkie, loved muscle cars, jazz music, action movies and a good burger - hold the mayo! He was so very proud of his children and all of their accomplishments. All of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren affectionately called him Papa Eddie, making it a well-known family nickname.

He leaves behind to mourn his loss, his beloved Evelyn, his children Reggie (Gina), Derrick (Melissa), Rafael (Ann), Desireé; his grandchildren Jasmine, Déja (Galen), Little Reggie, Lorenz, GiannaRé, Michael, Gavin, Brandon, Jordyn, Dylan; his great-grandchildren ZáNylah, Jacob-Jae, A'mia, J'ace; and his bonus grandchildren Donovan, Jenna, Audrey and his precious Ellie. Eddie is also survived by his siblings Gloria, Florence, Robert and, preceded in death, Barbara; his partner Kathy Goss Carroll, her sons David and Thomas (Shannon); as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, family and friends.