Rupert Alexander Edwards

CUMBERLAND FORESIDE – Rupert Alexander Edwards, 76, passed away on the evening of Sept. 12, 2023 from complications of Lewy Body Dementia. He passed away peacefully at the Mooring in Cumberland. Despite his difficult struggle with memory loss, Rupert always handled the adversity he faced with courage, grace and his wonderful sense of humor.

Rupert was born on July 2, 1947 in Stambourne, Halstead, United Kingdom. He was the son of the late James A. and Daphne A.H. (Stewart) Edwards. Rupert was one of a large family including a brother and five sisters.

His childhood in England was an adventurous one. He had a fascination with trains at an early age, causing him to miss many a day of school preferring the company of steam engines in the train yard to that of his teachers and classmates. He loved his little dog, Rosie and spending time with his best friend Adrian Abbott, a lifelong pal. He moved to West Bergholt, a small village outside of Colchester, England as a young lad. He had many adventures with his pals sailing, taking apart and fixing up cars and getting into a few scrapes on motorbikes. As he got older, he started a fencing business and purchased an old red truck which he named “The Red Rooster.” He and his mates spent many happy evenings at the White Hart, the local village pub.

In 1968, Rupert met his wife Marian when she moved to the UK to work and study in London after graduating from college in the U.S. Marian’s long time pen pal and friend, Val (Adrian’s wife) introduced her to Rupert and shortly thereafter they became a couple. Rupert and the Red Rooster made many trips to London visiting Marian. They were engaged a few years later and became partners for life. Rupert moved to the U.S. and married Marian in Toms River, N.J. on Aug. 2, 1972.

After they were married, Rupert and Marian moved to South Freeport where Marian had a job teaching in the school and Rupert worked in the local construction business. Rupert fondly remembers these years as some of the happiest times in his life. Rupert worked briefly as a draftsman before he attended Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute. He received his associate degree from SMVTI in 1978 in Building Construction and went on to start his own residential construction company which he grew into his business, RA Edwards Construction. He worked very hard at his trade and was a meticulous craftsman. He took great pride in his work, building many beautiful, well crafted, homes for local families.

Rupert and Marian later moved to Falmouth and had two children, Sonya and Justin. Rupert was a wonderful and loving father and husband. Family was the most important thing to him and he loved his wife and children deeply. He took great pride in his children and loved watching them grow. Rupert was the kind of father who was always there to celebrate life’s moments big and small, listen when times were tough, lend a helping hand or give a big hug when it was needed. He loved taking his children on boating adventures in Casco Bay with fond memories of times spent with friends exploring the islands together. Another love of Rupert’s was dogs. He always had a trusted golden retriever by his side and had a special connection with his pets. Being true to his English heritage, he also took great pride in gardening and keeping a beautiful yard. One of Rupert’s favorite hobbies was restoring antique British sports cars including a 1975 Triumph TR6 and a 1957 Austin Healy. Refurbishing and driving these cars gave Rupert great happiness.

In 2004, Rupert lost his wife Marian suddenly and it was a loss he never truly recovered from. The passing of his best friend and partner was very difficult and he missed her tremendously. His family and friends became all the more important parts of his life. He would never miss a family gathering, birthday party or Christmas together. He loved spending time with family at Christmas, and relished time spent with his grandchildren. Rupert was lucky to have several lifelong friends over the years who were with him for many fun times and adventures and stuck with him through the difficult times as well. He was blessed to have such strong friendships and he valued them a great deal.

Rupert was a warm, gentle and kind person with a quiet yet witty sense of humor. He had a genuine ability to be with people, young and old. He loved all children, and would spend hours playing with them, telling stories or going on whatever adventures they could think up. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, brother and friend. His friends and family are incredibly grateful for the time he was with us and the impact he had on our lives. His presence will be greatly missed but his memory will live on in our hearts.

Rupert was predeceased by his wife, Marian Edwards; and sister, Anthea Edwards.

He is survived by his daughter, Sonya Edwards and grandchildren Adrian and Sebastian of Cumberland Foreside; his son, Justin Edwards, wife Christine Edwards and grandchildren Marshall and Sophia of Falmouth. He is also survived by his brother, Martin Edwards and his wife Jill of the UK, and his sisters Julia Pucci and her husband Amos, Clare Edwards, Myfanwy Alexander, Helen Mary Jones and many nieces and nephews, all of the UK.

A celebration of Rupert’s life will be held on Oct. 18 at Gritty McDuffs in Freeport from 3 to 6 p.m. Arrangements are under the direction of the Conroy-Tully Walker Funeral Home, 172 State St., Portland. To view Rupert’s memorial page, or to share an online condolence, please visit http://www.ConroyTullyWalker.com.

Those who wish to make a contribution in Rupert’s memory can donate to:

The Maine Audubon at https://maineaudubon.org/support/give/