Ida Louise Edwards

Ida Louise Dahlstrom Edwards was born in Mesick, Michigan on November 16, 1920. She passed away on Monday, October 17, 2016, just a month shy of her 96th birthday, in Winter Park, Florida. Ida was the oldest of five children, born to Carrie Luella Valentine Dahlstrom and Carl Eric Dahlstrom. She graduated from Michigan State Normal College with a B.S. in Elementary Education in 1942, later earning an M.A. in teaching from Rollins College (1981). She taught for two years in Battlecreek, Michigan, before enlisting in the U.S. Navy. She served our country during World War II from 1944 to 1946. She was stationed in San Francisco, California, where she met and married John Alvin Edwards, Jr in 1949. They lived in Sausalito, California, where their first two children were born, before moving to Miami, Florida, for a year. In 1956, they settled in Winter Park, where their third child was born. Ida lived in Winter Park for sixty years, where she raised her three children. As a divorced, working mother in the 1960s, she faced many challenges which she met with the grace, dignity and stoic strength that were her hallmarks. She was a career teacher, spending most of her working years at English Estates Elementary School in Maitland, Florida. Teaching was her calling, but she also made time for community and church involvement throughout her lifetime. A devoted member of the Winter Park Presbyterian Church from 1956 to 2009, she taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, volunteered in the church library and served as an Elder. While raising her family, she found time during the summers to teach Red Cross Life Saving courses at the local public swimming pool. She loved the ocean, taking her family on many trips to New Smyrna Beach. She was an avid walker, as well as a voracious reader, making weekly trips to the Winter Park Library with her children, to whom she passed along her lifelong love of reading. After she retired from teaching, Ida used her time to expand her community service, enrich her mind and explore new interests. She became active in the Winter Park Garden Club, where she served as President and Chair of the Conservation Board. She was a talented writer and wrote numerous articles on Florida’s ecosystem and environmental issues for the WPGC newsletter. She loved bird watching, gardening and learning about Florida’s ecological concerns. She also participated in lifelong learning classes in bread baking and jazz appreciation and joined the YMCA, where she swam and took water aerobics classes. In 2008, she became a member of the First Congregational Church of Winter Park, attending services with her family, as well as Wednesday night dinners and programs. She also spent a great deal of time with her grandchildren, of whom she was exceptionally proud. Ida leaves behind her children, Deborah Edwards (Marty) of Clearlake, California, John Edwards (Jean) of Orlando, Florida and Grace Fiandaca (Charles) of Altamonte Springs, Florida. She was a loving and attentive grandmother to her five grandchildren: Jason Edwards, Ashley Ripley (Micah), Jennifer Edwards, Julie Perkinson (Chase) and Aaron Harriss. And she was beyond delighted by her two beautiful great-grandchildren, Eden Ripley and Charlie Perkinson. She is also survived by her sister, Clara Gibson and brother Oscar Dahlstrom (Pat) and numerous nieces and nephews. She is reunited with her sister, Helen and her brother, Carl, who preceded her in death.

Ida Louise Edwards

November 16, 1920 - October 17, 2016