Randall Henry Edwards

Randy Edwards was born on June 14, 1947, the first child of Marland Dean Edwards and Naomi Miethke Edwards in Tacoma, Washington. He grew up in Fife-Milton with two younger brothers and a little sister. She says he spoiled her rotten. In 1962 his father went to work for Briggs Nursery in Olympia and the family built a house on Ward Lake where Mar could walk to work. Randy went to Olympia High School his Junior and Senior years and had a column on the sports page of the school newspaper called Randy's Ramblings. He went to Centralia Junior College and worked for Dick Nichols writing sports articles in the Olympian. In 1967 Randy went to WWU in Bellingham where he majored in Elementary Education and wooed his future wife, Anne Schlichting. Lincoln Elementary in Olympia became his permanent teaching home for 40 years starting in September of 1969, after he and Anne graduated from WWU and were married in June. Randy taught 5th grade and loved sharing different learning strategies and ways to make each student feel important and accepted on every level of performance and accomplishment. Among other things he taught teamwork and extra-curricular activities including creation of a Lincoln Lions track team, chess lessons with access to out-of-town matches, and a myriad of PE games. He coached in and was President of the local Little Baseball Association for many years. He especially enjoyed coaching his daughters' softball teams and his son's baseball teams.

Randy was also a referee for high school wrestling matches and spent 40 years as a high school football official in Thurston and other local counties where he met many life-long friends. In 2005, Matt Loes asked him to be assistant coach for him at the SPSCC Girls Fastpitch program, and 3 years later, in 2008, they decided to apply for the coaching program at Olympia High School. There until 2018, Randy got to coach his oldest granddaughter, Skyler.

After his retirement from Lincoln Elementary School, he taught mostly PE for 10 years at the Olympia Regional Learning Academy. There, he enjoyed the full spectrum of grades K-12 homeschooled students who looked forward to the exciting and enjoyable activities that kept them busy physically. His comment to any complaining losers in a team game was "Did you have fun? (YES was always the answer) Then you won!" He wasn't a person who tied approval to winning.

Randy loved teaching, the teachers and coaches he worked with, and the children and parents he grew to know through the years.

Randy and Anne had three children and seven grandchildren: Brooke Van Berkum (Tom) have Bryce, Ellie, Lance and Luke. Caitlin Beasley (Ben) has Skyler Bodin, and Ben Edwards (Lee Johanna) have Emily and Johanna. Also surviving him are two brothers, Duane Edwards (Jenny) and Steve Edwards (Lesley) and sister Janetta Westlund (Jerry) and their children. He was preceded in death by is parents.

Randy and Anne enjoyed visiting and traveling through much of Europe and the east coast of the USA with their Danish friends whose son, Niels, stayed at the house as an OHS exchange student in 1997-98. They also bought a one-week-a-year- condominium stay in Kona, HI on their 25th Anniversary with good friends and frequented it with them through their 50th anniversaries (three days apart). Palm Springs to stay with friends was a current get-a-way in late winter for cards and entertainment and excursions. Bridge games and tickets to the theaters in Olympia and Seattle and occasional Big League Baseball games were the social delights as well as visits and attendance at grandchildren's homes and sporting events and full family outings. Randy especially loved golfing and fantasy sports games with his son Ben and his brothers. He and Ben also enjoyed travel to a World Series Poker event in Las Vegas 3 years ago.

Always the giving, loving Papa, he often took his two youngest granddaughters, Em and Jo, to local parks. Burfoot was their favorite, and there was always ice cream at Boston Harbor Marina after such excursions. Last October he proudly escorted Ellie Van Berkum onto the Nooksack Valley High School football field when she was named Homecoming Queen.

Randy Knew no strangers and regularly recognized former students and parents by their eyes. We were often in a store or a parking lot a little longer then usual due to catch-up conversations.

Randy died on June 1, 2022 after a brief battle with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer. We thank the hospice nurses who came to the house to help care for him, and for all the love and support so many have given us.

Donations may be made to The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound to support the Randy Edwards Memorial Scholarship Fund for college-bound seniors at Olympia HS. Address 212 Union Ave SE Suite 102 Olympia, WA 98501, or sent to the family home address.

There will be a Celebration of Life Memorial Service at 2:00 on Sunday, September 11, 2022, in the Olympia High School Gymnasium. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Memorial Scholarship fund mentioned above.