Edward Dale Irwin
Obituaries
The Daily Sentinel page 7B - July 23, 2023
On the evening of Friday
June 23, 2023, at 10:20 PM,
Edward Dale Irwin, loving
uncle, and friend to many,
passed away at the age of 79.
Edward was born on March
20th, 1944, in Carrol, Iowa,
to Dale and Ruth Irwin.
Edward graduated from
Sac City High School, Sac
City, Iowa in 1962. He
earned a BS in Ag Business
at Iowa State University
in 1967. He earned a JD in
Law and an MA in Business
Administration at the
University of Iowa in 1971.
He served in the US Navy.
He was a member of the Phi
Delta Theta fraternity.
Ed settled in Aspen,
Colorado for many years after school. He enjoyed skiing,
running, hiking, boating, and living among the Rocky
Mountains. He participated in numerous running competitions including marathons.
Ed was a metal sculptor. He learned to weld, working
with his father on farm machinery. He made sculptures of
figures from old railroad spikes and other common metal
objects found around a farm.
Ed later bridged his passion for running with that for art.
He took long runs into the deserts of Arizona and Utah with
a camera. He took photos of ancient Anasazi petroglyphs
about the cavernous walls of the vast desert landscape.
These images were his inspiration for artwork that sold in
galleries throughout the southwest.
Also known as Fast Eddie, he was a race car driver. He
drove in many local stock car races. He didn’t win very often. But, he welded a large middle-finger hand sculpture
that would raise up from the back window intended for
drivers he was passing… and an occasional middle-finger
to the audience in the stands.
Eddie officiated many weddings over the years. He wore
a clerical collar and riders chaps to roll up on a seated wedding party with his Harley Davidson motorcycle rumbling.
He posed for a photo with this outfit and motorcycle for
his business card that read: “Weddings, anywhere any time!
-Reverend Eddie”
Edward lived in Grand Junction, Colorado for his last
20 years where he made many close friends and continued
to weld and sculpt.
He was preceded in death by his sister Mary, and Connie
Manion. He is survived by Karen Witham, his brother-inlaw Bill Waggoner, nephews Greg and Jeff Waggoner,
Melissa Swibel, Tina Waggoner, Lucas and Sofia Waggoner,
and Zoey Bailey.
https://www.cofuneralhomes.com/obituary/Edward-Irwin
