David Edmonds

August 5, 1935 - October 15, 2024

With great sadness and joy, we say goodbye to brother David, a dear gentle soul we were fortunate to have in our lives. He was admitted to Howard University Hospital after a fall and passed away October 15, 2024 at the age of 89. His siblings Jim Edmonds, Jack Edmonds, and Nancy Mueller remain as well as
countless nieces and nephews.
David was born August 5, 1935 in a house that his dad, John Robert Edmonds, built with the help of his dad, William Edmonds on 3512 28th Street NE, Washington, DC.
As a small boy, he was a happy wanderer. Folks from miles away would call and say, "we have David!" He had a passion for maps and would regularly take a bike ride that was 30, 40, or 50 miles outside the city. He would often walk from Bethesda to D.C. and back, despite his physical handicaps. He and his brothers and sister would go to the Stoneman family concerts and the Cameo in Mount Rainier for a treat and a cowboy movie, all for a quarter. He would lead his siblings on hikes in the Blue Ridge mountains, off Skyline Drive. They would visit his grandparents and swim in the swimming hole at Little Beaver Creek beside Grandad Harris's three-cow farm in Benevola, Maryland.
Later, his mother, Ruby Ann Edmonds (née Harris), pushed for him to get a license and his own car. He was very close to his mother. It was from his mother's side he inherited a penchant for sweets and baked goods – apple crisps, apple butter and pies, in particular. He attended John Burroughs school at six and graduated at sixteen. His brother called him "one of the smartest people he knew," but noted that his speech impediment kept others from realizing it. He kept in touch with two close friends – Ronny Brown and Richard Deporter. Although he had a speech delay, it didn't hold him back. He took speech lessons for most of his young adult life.
The family moved to Bethesda in 1953 and he eventually moved to Hyattsville, MD. He lived independently at the Thomas House in Washington, DC in 2003, and he was the resident with the longest tenure at the time of his death.
David worked for his dad at Maryland Cast Stone until his father passed away in 1960 which made him physically strong from hauling stone. His mother, Ruby, helped him apply for a job with the Food and Drug Administration that same year. He was employed thanks to John F. Kennedy Jr.'s Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act) of 1963, a law that encouraged the government to employ people with disabilities. He was able to get a job as a technician in the animal lab where he looked after the beagles used in research projects, a job that played to his strengths. Despite his learning and speech challenges, he retired at the age of 65 after nearly 30 years and his resulting pension and retirement helped him to live independently until his death. He later worked at Foxes Music Company in Falls Church, VA with his brother, Jim.
He was a constant presence in the lives of his nieces and nephews, spending many summers at the cottage his mother had purchased for the family in Dewey Beach, Delaware. He loved visiting the beach. He was a driving force keeping the family together from miles away.
David loved a parade, enjoyed travel, going to the theater, and listening to bluegrass, gospel and country music. He was passionate about his church and prayer and was a deacon for the Baptist church in Hyattsville, MD.
He was a real model of courage and persistence in independence. In the face of his handicap, he faced them all head on. One of his friends at Thomas House, a woman with cerebral palsy, mentioned he was an inspiration for more able-bodied people who would often complain. He was a model of perseverance, positivity and compassion.
Join us for a celebration of David's life.
Monday, October 28, 2024
Viewing and fellowship: 10 to 10:45 a.m.
Service: 11 a.m.
St. Mark's Episcopal Church
301 A St. SE
Washington, DC 20003
The combined Baptist and Episcopal service will be followed by burial at Fort Lincoln Cemetery.
Fort Lincoln Cemetery
3401 Bladensburg Rd.
Brentwood, MD 20722
After the burial, all are invited to gather for lunch at a location, to be determined.
In lieu of flowers the family requests you make donations to the Humane Society in David's memory.