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October 23, 1938 - December 31, 2021 Edward Joseph Edelen, III, husband of 56 years, father, grandfather, fighter pilot, devout Catholic, avid Republican, real estate investor, and expert duck hunter, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, December 31, 2021 at the age of 83. In 1965, he married the true love of his life, Lexy (Herschberger) Edelen, an Oklahoma native and now a retired music director. He always said she was the best thing that ever happened to him. They have two daughters, Kyle Myres of Surfside (Bob), and Lexy Boudreau of Arlington, VA (Doug). He taught them to hunt, to enjoy boating and being on the water, how to pack as much fun as possible into any adventure and the importance of family. He took extreme pride in his grandchildren Sarah Anne Myres, Nathan Boudreau, Jared Boudreau, Lexy Jane Boudreau, Brett Boudreau, Leila Myres, Karl Myres, and Leo Myres. Ed was predeceased by his parents, Mary and Edward Edelen and his sister, Susan Jaeger. He is survived by his siblings Keech Edelen, Bart Edelen, Anne Edelen and Noel Edelen. He grew up in Charles County, Maryland and attended Mount St. Mary’s College. He lived in Myrtle Beach, SC for most of his adult life and loved everything about the Grand Strand. No matter the weather, he would declare it was “80 degrees and sunny and all you need to pack is a swimsuit.” Ed was also a true son of Maryland who liked few things better than to spend the afternoon picking crabs, shucking oysters, and sharing a few stories with friends. He took immense pride in his military service during the Vietnam conflict as a fighter pilot and continued his love of flying, as an Eastern Airlines Pilot. He has the distinction of being the youngest solo pilot to cross the Atlantic and the Pacific non-stop in a single engine jet and one of the few to fly the F-100 fighter jet over 1,000 hours. Anyone who was around Ed knew him to be the life of the party and always up for a good joke. He knew how to keep the good times going with fireworks, a great band, a bonfire or a round of peach daiquiris. He was known to say “I may grow old but I will never grow up." And he was right, he grew old and died without ever growing up. He will be missed by all who knew him. To quote Ed: "Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Holy Cow, what a ride!" Funeral Mass will be at St. Michael Catholic Church on Saturday, January 15, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a memorial donation to Homes for Our Troops, 6 Main Street, Taunton, MA, 02780 or at https://www.hfotusa.org. Goldfinch Funeral Home, Beach Chapel is honored to serve the Edelen family.

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Edward J. Edelen, III

October 23, 1938 - December 31, 2021