Efren Santos Edwards Sr.

Efren Santos Edwards was born in Cavite City, the Philippine Islands to Thomas and Venturosa Edwards on January 13, 1932. He is survived by his wife Emie Dancel Edwards, his childen Michael Edwards, Linda Edwards, Susan Brigham, Efren Edwards Jr., Doreen Sarles, and Darlene Edwards, 11 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings Charles Edwards, Mary Maddela, Patria Meneses, and Frank Edwards.  He came to Seattle on August 1945 with his parents, grandmother, and siblings, and has lived his life here. He attended Immaculate Conception Catholic school and ODea High School, both in Seattle.  He worked for Burlington Northern at the Balmer Yard office in Interbay until his retirement in 1997.  He passed away on January 27, 2016 in the loving presence of his family. He joins his previous wife, Corazon Gutierrez Edwards, who preceded him in death in August 1999.    

Efren loved to tell vivid stories about his childhood, such as growing up in war-torn Manila, the long boat ride to Seattle with his family near the end of the war, and living in Seattle’s Filipino community in his youth. He loved life’s simple pleasures, like a day at Longacres with his dad and brothers, fish and chips and a bowl of red at Ivars on the waterfront, watching mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom on a soft sofa on a Sunday evening, having coffee and putu at the Tai Tung counter, and telling a good story. And boy, could he tell some great stories. His vivid storytelling would put you right next to him selling flowers as a boy in Manila’s red light district in 1942, or feeling the ocean mist on your face as you ran with him along the aft deck of the USS General John Pope in 1945, or experiencing the bumpy plane ride with him with a bush pilot to a hospital in Juneau from Waterfall cannery in 1952 when he discovered he was severely allergic to mussels. His nephew Dixon called him the prime example of “Make love, not war”, and he couldn’t be more right. He rarely raised his voice, unless it was in excitement in front of the TV watching an Ali fight. He never came up with a cure for cancer, invented anything earth-changing, or won’t be written about in books. But what many of us remember him for is working his 3-11 shift at Burlington Northern for decades, driving his kids to school on time, and wanting to provide an environment of stability and safety, one that is probably borne of his childhood spent around death and devastation. When you remember Efren Edwards, remember him for a life lived with family, enjoyed to the fullest, and shared with others.

Funeral service:

Saturday, February 6, 2016 10:30AM

Immaculate Conception Church

 820 - 18th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122

Burial service following the funeral service:

Holyrood Cemetery

205 NE 205th St.
Shoreline, WA 98155

Reception following the burial at Immaculate Conception church hall