ROYSE, (LT. COL.), Edward Earl

The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Saturday, February 6, 2010 Lieutenant Colonel Edward Earl Royse, United States Army Artillery retired, died at age 66 in the Heroes Section of the Veterans Hospital in Prescott, Ariz., Saturday evening, Jan. 30, 2010, with his beloved wife Sharon at his side. Ed was born during World War II in 1943 in Tempe, Ariz., where his father, Edward N. Royse, worked at a defense plant. His mother was Helen Louise (Wilson) Royse from the Frederick, Okla., area, where her family were wheat farmers. Ed's formative years were spent in Elk City, Okla., which had been settled by his paternal great-grandparents, John Henry and Sarah Elizabeth Royse, his grandparents Lloyd and Barbara Royse, and several other great-uncles and aunts, before it became a city. The family returned to Tempe, Ariz., in 1956. Ed graduated from Tempe Union High School in 1961, where he made many lifelong friends, including Alfred E. Newman of "What, Me Worry?" fame. He was a graduate of the University of Arizona, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Army tours took him to Korea in the winter, twice to Vietnam, the Pentagon, Fort Bliss, Texas in the hot summer, and Fort Sill, Okla., in the cold of winter and the heat of summer. He served with the Arizona National Guard in Phoenix for about eight years. He was a huge fan of the Indianapolis 500 and loved to take family and friends with him. To go with Ed was an unforgettable experience. Ed studied history and earned his master's degree as a museum curator at Texas Tech University. His business card described him as an "inveterate collector of eclectic and seemingly priceless objects," so this degree surprised no one. Ed could intelligently discuss almost any subject. Those close to him knew he could also cuss at particular topics such as politics, human nature and individual foibles. He had a dry wit and often asserted about himself that comedian Rodney Dangerfield "gets no respect" less than I do. Ed is preceded in death by his stepson, Scott; his parents; and his brothers, Larry and Tim of Tempe, Ariz. He is survived by his wife Sharon of the home; and stepson Alex of Texas. He is also survived by his brothers Robb, Doug and Brad; his sister Sue Royse Melaney of San Diego, Calif., their spouses; and numerous nephews, nieces, cousins, beloved neighbors and friends young and old. Ed loved us all. Ed donated his body to the University of Arizona Medical Center for cancer research. Ultimately his ashes will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery. An informal memorial will be at a family gathering at a later date. Information provided by survivors.