Thomas (Tommy) Henry Edwards, 92, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, peacefully passed away at home on July 20th. Tommy was born in Tottenham, England on December 21, 1931 to Ivy Hetter Levin and Thomas Henry Edwards. He led a full and adventurous life.
Tommy lived through the London blitz of WW2 and often reminisced about evenings in the air raid shelter in their family’s backyard and wartime rationing, before being evacuated from London. His father passed away suddenly when he was 14, causing him to leave school and begin work as an errand boy for a stock brokerage house in London. Tommy was an active member of the scouts in London, attaining King scout Honors, and he had a love for music and dance.
In his early 20’s, he was conscripted into Her Majesty's Royal Military. Tommy was stationed in Kenya in the K-9 unit for the military police. It was there that he discovered his love for dogs and animals. Upon his return to London, Tommy joined the Gang Show where he made lifelong friends and performed in shows in and around London, highlighted by a performance for HRH Queen Elizabeth II. It was in the Gang Show where he met the love of his life, Marian Goodenoungh, and soon after they married.
The errand boy worked his way up to become a commodities trader for J. H. Rayner, which later merged with S & W Berisford. In 1965, Tommy was transferred to the United States, tasked with opening Rayner’s New York office. They became major suppliers of coffee, cocoa, and sugar around the world. Tommy was a longtime director of Berisford, which became the 4th largest publicly traded company in the United Kingdom, at its peak. He served on many boards including Grace Cocoa and The Coffee, Cocoa and Sugar Exchange.
Tommy and Marian had three sons: Bruce, Marcus and Christopher. They spent over 30 years in Verona, New Jersey and Greenwich, Connecticut. He loved to ski with his friends and family at Bromley Mountain, in Vermont, before retiring to Ponte Vedra Beach in Northeast Florida. Tommy was a self-taught piano and clarinet player and loved jazz music. He had a wonderful sense of humor and was a prolific storyteller. Tommy was devoted to his family. He will be greatly missed and always loved and cherished. Tommy was predeceased by his loving wife of 63 years. He is survived by his three sons; daughters-in-law: Diana (Shea) and Kristin (Kern); and beloved grandchildren: Henry, Grace, Lillian, and Vivian.
As per his wishes, a private family service will be held. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Rita Foundation through their website at the-rita-foundation.org., a charity to which both Tommy and Marian were committed.
