Edman Elledge

Edman Lewis Elledge of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, was born June 17, 1930 in Thebes, IL, to Pleasant (Willard) and Ada Lewis Elledge. His family moved to Madison, WI, where his parents worked for Oscar Mayer.  Edman was raised in Madison where he excelled in track.  He enlisted in the US Navy after high school. After serving, Elledge attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he joined ROTC and graduated with a degree in Economics.  Upon graduation, he joined the US Army where he was commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant and stationed in Berlin.

Edman returned to the states where he began his career with The Dow Chemical Company, his career-long employer.  He met and married Deborah Ann Day of Grosse Pointe in 1960.  Elledge subsequently adopted Deborah’s son Michael and the family settled in Farmington, MI.  Edman’s sales career with Dow took him twice from southeast Michigan to Midland, MI, and finally to Westport, CT.  Deb and Ed ultimately moved to Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, first as residents of The Plantation.  Ed moved to the retirement community of Vicars Landing shortly after Deborah’s death in 2009.

Ed will be remembered as a man of integrity, intelligence and humor.  Elledge was also the consummate, well-dressed gentleman, devoted to his wife Deborah and her son Michael, loved by numerous friends and family.  Elledge loved skiing, golf, reading (particularly espionage novels), crossword puzzles, and running. He ran in numerous marathons in his forties and fifties, including the Marine Corps (Washington, DC) and New York Marathons, and had an abiding interest in fine wine and food.  Edman relished spending time with his extended family and maintained strong ties with them until his death.  He especially enjoyed visits by his son and stepdaughter, granddaughters, and great grandchildren.

He is survived by his sister, Nancy Hamby; brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Carla Day; sister-in-law, Janet Day, and their extended families; son, Michael and wife Amy Stevenson; grandchildren, Heather (Miller), Jennifer, and Lindsay; great grandchildren, Conor and Grayson (Miller); nieces, Patricia and Barbara; nephew, Michael, their extended families; and long-time caregiver, Tuleeca Buttery. The family is especially grateful for the constant love and support given to Deborah and Edman by Tuleeca, which was instrumental to their health and well-being.

According to his wishes, Edman’s ashes will join his wife’s in the Easter Garden of Christ Church Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, MI, as well as one of his favorite ski destinations.