Obituary of Richard Vernon Edwards, Jr.

Richard Vernon Edwards, Jr., age 92, of The Woodlands, Texas, passed away on April 20, 2023 in the company of his wife, Seola, two of his children and his son-in-law.

Dick, as he was better known, was preceded in death by his parents, Richard V. Edwards, Sr. and Eva Lou Joffrion; and his sister, Eva Lou Edwards Wellborn.

Dick was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and grew up in Baton Rouge. He graduated high school from the Allen Military Academy in Bryan, Texas and earned a degree in electrical engineering from LSU in 1952.

On June 21, 1952, Richard married Seola May “CeCe” Arnaud.  They had five children; 17 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. Dick’s great joy in life was his family and he was well-loved by them all. He was extremely proud of having been married to the same woman for over 70 years!

Dick proudly served in the United States Air Force from 1952 to 1954 during the Korean War and was stationed at Sandia Air Base in Albuquerque and Biggs Air Force Base in El Paso, Texas.

From there, Dick worked for Exxon his entire career as an exploration geophysicist, closing out his career as manager of the EXPEC Computer Center in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. His career with Exxon was marked with many interesting assignments including seven years in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

Dick was also an avid athlete who ran 21 marathons in his lifetime, the last being in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Golf was one of his passions and he played famous courses in Scotland, Ireland, England, Cyprus and, of course, the U.S.A. He won his flight in the 1983 Kuwaiti Open Tournament. Richard was the world champion of the Indoor Golf tournament in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1985. Most of the Middle East golf courses are sand. Richard played in the Cyprus annual Joint Service Golf Club (Dhekelia) Open Golf Championship 27 years in a row beginning in 1983.  Eventually they made him an honorary member of the Club.  Everywhere he went, Dick made lifelong friends.

He loved life and lived it to the fullest. Dick was a very giving person, and among his favorite charities was the LSU French program. In 2000, he helped establish a French Immersion program for LSU French students in the Ubaye Valley of France, the origin of his wife’s family.  The students upon their return back to LSU would say, almost without exception, “This experience changed my life!”  One of the students from the original group, Todd Jacob, has returned every year since 2001, and now represents LSU there in an official capacity.

But Dick’s generosity was not limited to LSU. He took great pleasure each Christmas in sending out checks to 14 charities which were matched Exxon. His largesse was legendary.

Dick Edwards was a rare breed of human being and he will be greatly missed. As a devout Catholic he believed that life here on earth was just a beginning of our eternal life in Heaven. May he rest in peace!

A recitation of the Holy Rosary will begin at 9:45 a.m., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:15 a.m., on Monday, April 24, 2023 at Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church, 26777 Glen Loch Drive in The Woodlands, Texas.

The Rite of Committal will be at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at Greenwood Cemetery in Pineville, Louisiana.