Edward Joseph Widmer

Edward Joseph Widmer was born on March 1, 1937 in Moos, Gottschee, Austria, now Slovenia. He was orphaned at the end of WWII at about 10 years of age and lived in a displaced persons’ camp with his elder sister, Martha and his grandfather. Relatives in New York found his sister’s name on a list through the Red Cross and learned that Martha had a younger brother. They were both flown to New York via Newfoundland through the Displaced Persons Act of 1948 and united with family they had never met.

Edward worked and studied simultaneously and was accepted to Cooper Union’s engineering program. He graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering. He went on to earn his MBA from Baruch College. He became a Professional Engineer and also a Certified Financial Planner.

After approximately two years of Army service, Edward married Carminda Miranda Widmer in April 1968. and they had two daughters: Jasmine Miranda Widmer and Claudine Miranda Widmer. Each daughter had a son, his only grandchildren: Alexander Joseph and Pasqual José. Edward’s grandsons became the light of his eyes.

Edward survived the fall of the Twin Towers by descending over 90 stories of the North Tower after it was hit first but fell second. Upon reuniting with his family that evening, he bemoaned the deaths of the firefighters and police that were walking up as he walked down. He again acknowledged another opportunity for living and returned to international travel, skiing, dancing, food, friends and showing off the achievements of his extended family.

Edward left behind his wife Carminda, two daughters, Jasmine and Claudine, son-in-law José and two grandsons, Alexander and Pasqual.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at unhcr.org; or, the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) at vcf.gov. Alternatively, donations made be made to what was historically known as the Displaced Persons Agency housed within the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the broader Red Cross and Red Crescent network at redcross.org.