William A Edwards

WILLIAM AGLER EDWARDS, age 87

A longtime resident of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, passed away on Thursday, February 6, 2020 at his home. He was born on July 19, 1932 in Massillon, Ohio, the beloved son of the late William M. and Dorothy Edwards, older brother to Jane Hauser (Charles - deceased) and Mary Crabill (John - deceased), beloved husband for 65 years of Carol (nee McQueen), dear father of Eve Megargel (Matthew), Karen Friedman (Dennis), Leslie Biederman (Scott), and William Edwards (Ashley), devoted grandfather of Alexander Caulfield (Kelsey), Benjamin Megargel, Matthew Biederman, William Megargel, Elizabeth Biederman, and dearest great grandfather to Jane Edwards Caulfield.

Mr. Edwards earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Vanderbilt University. While attending Vanderbilt, he attempted to master Portuguese, had a brief but colorful stint on the football team with his Dad as the head coach, was the student radio voice of the Commodores and worked at the Grand Ole Opry where he took Vanderbilt football recruits on weekly tours. Most importantly, he met his wife to be and Best Friend of 65 years in Carol while at Vanderbilt. After serving in the Army in Baltimore and Atlanta, he worked as a loan officer at the Union Commerce Bank for a brief period of time in Cleveland until he joined the law firm of Ulmer, Berne, Laronge, Glickman & Curtis (now Ulmer & Berne LLP) on November 1, 1963. He remained at Ulmer as an associate and then partner and member of the firm's tax and estate planning departments for the next 34 years until he retired at the end of 1997. A mentor to many and a trusted colleague to all.

Quick witted, kind, and inexplicably enthusiastic about even the most mundane matters, Bill served as a long time elder at Euclid Avenue Christian Church (now known as the Disciples Christian Church). He was a gentleman and a gentle man, volunteering for meals on wheels and making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the homeless. He enjoyed playing handball and racquetball and losing to Carol in tennis. A master of the card game hearts, he was considered by many to be the greatest bluffer of all time. Shooting the moon was his specialty. In retirement, Bill took fashion cues from no one, happily donning his many different Cape Cod Chatham sweatshirts on a regular basis. He was a weekly dinner guest with Carol at Nighttown and was known for his appreciation of a well-constructed gimlet.

A service and celebration of life will be held at 3:00 pm on February 20, 2020 at the Disciples Christian Church, 3663 Mayfield Road, Cleveland Heights, OH 44121. A reception for family and friends will take place immediately thereafter from 4:15 pm to 7:30 pm at Nighttown, 12383 Cedar Road, Cleveland, OH 44106.

Friends who wish may contribute to: The Lurie Center for Autism at Massachusetts General Hospital https://www.massgeneral.org/children/autism/lurie-center

ARRANGEMENTS ENTRUSTED TO MAHER-MELBOURNE FUNERAL HOME OF NORTHEAST OHIO