Memorial Service at UUSS 11:00 AM, Saturday, April 24, 2016

Former UUSS member Edmond Arthur Radsliff passed away the morning of February 7, 2016 at home under the loving care of his daughter, Elizabeth Radsliff-Nelson and her family, three months after his 98th birthday.

Ed was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, on November 14, 1917, to the late Lillian Eloise Davis and David Fredrick Radsliff. When his father served in World War I, he moved with his mother and sister, Charlotte, to live with his mother’s parents, Anna May Benight and John Edmund Davis in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Upon his father’s return, the family moved to Pierre, South Dakota, where his father worked as an electrical engineer, and five siblings were born. Later his mother and siblings, Charlotte, Leon, Nancy, Kathleen, John and Wally moved backed to his grandparent’s home in Minneapolis, and then, they moved to a chicken farm in Hayward, Wisconsin, as his mother continued to work as a social worker.

As a child of the Great Depression, his family moved, yet again, to Portland, Oregon, and later they moved to California for a better life and an opportunity for everyone to earn college degrees. In 1941, Ed graduated with a two-year degree in accounting, Phi Theta Kappa, from Sacramento Jr. College, and he moved to Berkeley to pursue a degree in economics at the University of California, Berkeley. During World War II, he served as a ship inspector in the Vallejo Shipyards. After WWII, he returned to UCB, and Ed graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics in 1947.

On March 6th, 1948, Ed married Mary Elizabeth Deuel, and soon afterwards, they moved to Sacramento, California, where he started his career in State Service. They had two sons and three daughters, and suffered the loss of a son, James, soon after his birth. They reared their kids at UUSS, and Mary served as a volunteer leader and paid staff member in Religious Education.
Ed, also, taught statistics for many years at California State University, Sacramento. As a programmer for the California Department of Transportation, he designed transportation studies, and later the model he developed was applied to other transportation studies throughout the United States. The couple was divorced in 1970. On January 1, 1973, Ed married Margaret Lois Perry, and he added her three sons to his family. After retiring, Ed discovered his love for golf, and Margaret and Ed traveled around the world. Ed shared his joy of travel and his appreciation for the wonder of nature through his photographs and slide shows with family and friends.
Ed was preceded in death by his parents, his siblings, and his wife of 35 years, Margaret. He is survived by his seven children and their spouses, Gary Williams and Madeleine Seltzer, Keith and Sue Williams, Bruce and Eileen Williams, Claudia Radsliff Desmangles, Ann and Tony Caminiti, Robert and Eva Radsliff, and Elizabeth Radsliff-Nelson and Bob Nelson. In addition, Ed is survived by his thirteen grandchildren, Justin Desmangles, Christina Hoerl, Gian Caminiti, Melinda Radsliff, Phil Radsliff, Logan Bramble, Chris Bramble, Alix Williams, Eli Williams, Seth Williams, Casey Lew-Williams, Sarah Williams and Kevin Williams, and his six great grandchildren.
He will be greatly missed by all that knew him, and Ed will be remembered for his quiet understated sense of humor, gentle spirit and generosity. A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, April 23rd at 11 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Sacramento, 2425 Sierra Blvd, Sacramento 95825.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Ed’s memory may be made to The First Tee of Greater Sacramento, a non-profit organization, impacting the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf, at 3649 Fulton Avenue, Sacramento 95821 or 916-808-0959.