Robert W. Edison, 89 of Sturgis died Monday, November 11, 2013 at the Rapid City Regional Hospital surrounded by his family.

He was born June 30, 1924 to Peter and Tora Louise (Highland) Edison in Mission Hill, SD. He grew up in the Mission Hill/Yankton area during the Great Depression.

Robert joined the US Navy in 1941 at the age of 17 and served as a radio operator aboard the battleship USS New Mexico and served in the South Pacific in WWII. He survived a kamikaze attack which killed many of his shipmates. He recalled seeing the eyes of that pilot just before impact. He was discharged from the Navy in 1945. He was very proud of his Navy service and always wore a Navy or WWII Veteran's baseball cap.

He went on to obtain an undergraduate degree from USD and a Master of Social Work from the University of Nebraska. He was a lifelong Huskers football fan.

Robert married Cynthia Stientjes on September 1, 1955 in Doon, Iowa. They met at the State Hospital in Yankton where they both began their careers in mental health. Bob was a psychiatric social worker and an advocate for the mentally ill all of his life. He also worked for Lutheran Social Services in Sioux Falls, The Brookings Area Guidance Center and retired in 1991 from the South Central Mental Health Center in Jamestown, ND. We won a Governor's award in ND for his volunteer work with the mentally ill and also volunteered at Ft Meade in Sturgis. He and Cindy moved to Sturgis, SD for their retirement years.

He was a good Democrat and was always interested in the news, politics and wrote many thoughtful Letter's to the Editor in local newspapers and the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. He loved Time Magazine and was a crosswords puzzle enthusiast. In earlier years he enjoyed family camping trips to the West. He also took great pride in his Norwegian heritage.

He was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Sturgis and the Sturgis Senior Center, but most of all he was a member of The Greatest Generation' who lived and fought through some historic times. We have collected the stories he wrote about his life experiences and will remember him well.

He is survived by his wife Cindy and children; Sandra (Robert) Littrell of RC; Natalie (Dennis) Eslinger of RC; Kirk (Annette) Edison of Sioux Falls and Heidi Edison of RC; a brother Donald Edison of Sioux Falls and 6 grandchildren. He was proceeded in death by his parents and sisters Carol, Evelyn and Mary.

Visitation will be Thursday, November 14, 2013 from 5-7pm at Kinkade Funeral Home in Sturgis, SD. Funeral Services will be Friday November 15, 2013 at 10:00 AM at Kinkade Funeral Chapel. Internment will be at Black Hills National Cemetery with full military honors at 1:00 PM on Friday. Donations may be made in his honor to the Meade County Senior Center.

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