Eden Pearl

Eden Pearl, MSgt, USMC, most recently of San Antonio, Texas, died on Dec. 20, 2015, at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, from injuries sustained in Afghanistan on Aug. 16, 2009, when his military vehicle was blown up by an IED. He was 40.
Eden was born in Fort Bragg, California, on Aug. 17, 1975, to Catherine Stobie and Jeffrey Pearl, who were residents of the town of Elk at the time. By age 5, he and his mother had relocated to Western New York where he grew up. He attended schools in Buffalo and Springville, New York, before graduating from high school in Rochester.
Eden was one of those kids who, once he made a friend, had a friend for life. Articles online only talk about him as a Marine, but Eden has family and so many boyhood friends who mourn him now. He was what some folks would call a guy's guy. He loved to go fishing, hunting, camping, taking off into the woods just to explore whatever might be there, down the path, around the corner.... He loved his music, he loved his pets, he loved his family.
His mom liked to call him a perfect child. He was perfect in the sense that you could be sure he wouldn't admit to smoking in the barn no matter how badly he smelled of smoke; that he would try to sneak out to do something with his friends when mom had said "no"; that he would argue about house rules. All the things one expects of a boy. But Eden also always wanted a kiss and hug at bedtime; thought that his mom was beautiful and a great cook; learned how to cook himself so he could surprise her after a long day at work. You know, perfect.
Eden considered college before joining the service, but ultimately he decided to join the Marines directly from high school. He went to Parris Island in the summer of 1994 and never looked back. Early on, Eden decided he wanted to become a Reconnaissance Marine, so he attended every class and special school required to attain his goal, which is arguably the most difficult, yet coveted, profession in the Marine Corps.
Eden served as a Team Leader in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. On the morning of Aug. 16, 2009, while conducting operations in the Herat Province of Afghanistan, Eden's vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED). Eden was thrown approximately 30 feet from the vehicle and his body became engulfed in flames. Eden suffered a traumatic brain injury and third and fourth degree burns over 94 percent of his body. As a result of his injuries, Eden had to have both of his legs, one of his arms and the fingers on his remaining hand amputated. Some doctors and surgeons have said that Eden was the most badly wounded man ever to survive in the history of the United States military.
Despite all of Eden's awards and accomplishments as a Marine, Eden's proudest moment was the birth of his daughter, Averey. She was the light of his life.
Surviving family members are his wife, Alicia, and his daughter, Averey, of San Antonio, Texas; his mother, Catherine Stobie of Fort Bragg; his father, Jeffrey Pearl of Florida; his maternal grandmother, Marilyn Stobie, of Ukiah; his maternal uncles, Michael Stobie, of Lakewood, Colorado, and Timothy Stobie, of Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. Eden is also survived by many cousins and friends.
Memorial donations may be made to Operation First Response at 20037 Dove Hill Road, Culpeper, VA 22701, or to www.operationfirstresponse.org.
A celebration of Eden's life will be held at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina in February.