Obituary of John Ansley Edwards

John Ansley Edwards passed away on December 18, 2011 in Los Altos at the age of 81. He was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada and grew up in nearby St. Stephen. John completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of New Brunswick, earning a doctorate in Chemistry. He spent a year at Imperial College in London on a Beaverbrook scholarship, followed by postdoctoral studies at Columbia University. While in New York, he met his wife Mary Jane and they were married for 54 years. He began his career as a medicinal chemist at Syntex in Mexico City, where they lived for 6 years and welcomed two daughters. In 1964, the family moved to Los Altos where their son was born and John continued his career at Syntex. He eventually became the Director of the Syntex Institute of Organic Chemistry and retired in 1993. John was a devoted father and grandfather, especially enjoying sports activities with his kids and grandkids. He also loved the outdoors and spent many family vacations camping and hiking. In later years, John and Mary Jane traveled the world together. John is survived by his wife Mary Jane, his children Catherine and David Hayashida, Helen and Philip Wendler, Rachel and John Edwards and his grandchildren Jacob and Matthew Edwards. He also leaves behind his brother-in-law Anthony Lucas, his nephews Thomas, James and John Lucas and their families, his niece Ann McAllister and his nephew David McAllister and his family. Services will be held at St. Simon Catholic Church on Thursday, December 29th at 11am. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Salvation Army, the American Cancer Society or the Yosemite Conservancy.




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