Michael Hardy Edwards

No Sad Songs for Him

"Snap out of it!"

If anyone slipped into a bad mood, Michael Hardy Edwards would have none of it. He would order, "Snap out of it," and then break into one of his dazzling smiles, featuring the best dimples imaginable.

He would not brook unhappiness. The way he saw it, life offered too much joy.

One way he found joy was through athletics. He was a crack hurdler in college, and he continued to run. In fact, name just about any sport, and it seemed that he did it: golf, skydiving, scuba diving, snowboarding, skiing. Early on, he had contemplated becoming a ski instructor, before choosing a career on Wall Street. His wife, Jackie, liked activity, but was more moderate. "If he was scuba diving, I'd be snorkeling," she said. "If he was skydiving, I'd be on the ground photographing him."

Mr. Edwards, 33, was a managing director at Sandler O'Neill & Partners, and lived in Manhattan with his wife and their pit bull, Little One, whom he pampered without restraint. "He was so not the typical Wall Streeter," Mrs. Edwards said. "He would never talk about what he did. So many of them, they can't wait to tell you their title." He took a car service to his office at 6:45 in the morning so he could read on the way, but after work, he preferred to hop on the subway. Once he arrived home, he shrugged out of his suit and pulled on Army shorts.