Obituary

Samuel Roger 

Edwards, M.D., F.A.C.P

“Dr. Sam,” 76, physician, banker, farmer, hospital administrator, healthcare advocate and humanitarian, died at his home in Santa Paula on January 25, 2014 following a lengthy illness. He was an inspirational leader, revered mentor, Renaissance thinker and a gentleman who devoted his life to his family, his community and his country.  

Sam, a fourth generation Californian and son of the late Harold S. Edwards and Margaret S. Edwards of Marysville, CA, was born August 11, 1937 at the Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA. and lived in Santa Paula, CA for three years before moving to Marysville, CA.  He grew up on a farm twelve miles from town, became an Eagle Scout and attended local schools.  When he was fourteen he went east to school, graduated from The Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, MA in 1956, and earned his B.A. degree in Biology from Harvard University in 1960.  

Sam and his future wife, Marcia, met as undergraduates at Harvard.  They were married in Wakefield, MA in 1961 following her graduation from Harvard and Sam’s first year in medical school.

Sam earned his M.D. Degree from the USC School of Medicine in 1964, interned at the Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia, PA (1965), and completed one year of Residency at the Presbyterian Hospital in San Francisco before going on active duty in the Navy.  He served in the U.S. Navy Reserve (LTCDR - Medical Corps) aboard the USS General John Pope from 1966-1968.  He was responsible for the health of 4,000 troops on their way to Vietnam.

Following his Naval duty, Sam returned to San Francisco to complete his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of CA, and was a Cardiology Fellow at Presbyterian Hospital. In 1971, he and Marcia and their two sons moved to Santa Paula, CA. 

Dr. Sam was a Board Certified Internist and Fellow of the American Academy of Physicians who practiced Internal Medicine from 1971-1994 at 243 March Street in Santa Paula, CA - the community where his great grandfather had been a pioneer and three generations of his family had been involved in the family’s farming business.  

As a young man, Sam dreamed of returning to Santa Paula having visited there many times.  And in 1971, he returned to stay and lived more than forty years in that same home he visited as a child.  In returning and in expanding his practice, he fulfilled his goal of bringing high quality medicine to the people of Santa Paula.  His dear colleagues stimulated and challenged his thinking and helped him to be his best.

Dr. Sam also served as Medical Director of the Ventura County Medical Center from 1982-1995 and of two convalescent hospitals in Santa Paula from 1975-1995.  He was the Deputy Director of the Ventura County Health Care Agency from 1996 to 2003 and the Hospital Administrator for the Ventura County Medical Center from 1995 to 2002. 

In addition to his administrative role at VCMC, Dr. Sam served as President of the Medical Staff at the Santa Paula Memorial Hospital and of the Ventura County Medical Center.  He loved teaching residents and nurses, and was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA.  He was a Consultant for Medical Staff and Hospital Affairs, and served on the Medical Staff Advisory Committees of several hospital associations.  He was on the Executive Committee of the Santa Paula Hospital, the Chairman of the Credentials Committee until 1995, and the the Director of the Santa Paula Hospital CCU from its opening in 1971 to 1994.

Sam also provided leadership for his family’s farming business, hospitals and banks.  He served on the Boards of Directors of the Samuel Edwards Associates (1963-1986), the Limoneira Company (1986-2007); the Board of The California Association of Hospital and Health Systems (1994-1995) and The Hospital Council of Southern California (1992-1994). He was on the Citizens State Bank of Santa Paula Board (1976-1997), and the Board of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust from1998 to 2007. And, he served as Chairman of the Citizen State Bank and of the Limoneira Company Boards in 2003 and 2004.  

Numerous organizations have honored Sam’s leadership and recognized his contributions to his Community: Outstanding Service by the American Heart Association; Distinguished Community Service by the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce; and Outstanding Support by the Ventura County Leadership Academy.  And, he received many awards including the Fritz Huntsinger Eagle Scout Community Service Award from the Ventura Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Attending Physician of the Year Award from the Ventura County Medical Center Residency Program, and the Paul Harris Award from the Rotary Club of Santa Paula. 

In 2006, the Santa Clara Valley Wellness Foundation honored Dr. Sam for his efforts to reorganize and reopen the Santa Paula Hospital as a campus of VCMC following its closure in bankruptcy. And, at the same time, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors honored him with the naming of the “Dr. Samuel Edwards Intensive Care Unit,” the “unit” he had first opened in 1971 when he arrived in Santa Paula 

Sam was a problem-solver, an analyst, a cheerleader, a team builder, a model of energy, equanimity, enthusiasm and accountability, a devoted husband and dad, a deep keel in the water for all.  He helped others to be their best and to support a common mission. 

He enjoyed fishing in the high Sierra because “fish live in beautiful places,” playing tennis and bridge, watching his sons play soccer, sharing time with his family, reading by the fire, playing music.  Sam played a number of musical instruments, enjoyed harmonizing in a quartet, playing ensemble music, singing folk songs and attending symphony concerts. He loved to explore historical sites, take jeep trips into the backcountry, and collect fossils in wonderful places such as the Canadian Rockies, an interest begun in college.  His studies of historical subjects and family history continued to expand even as his physical capacity waned.  He was curious, disciplined and selective in what he read, and intensely interested in the forces and people who have shaped the world.  He was a student of leadership, and was inspired by those who have given extraordinary service for the greater good.  He chose his mentors carefully; portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s hung on his wall. 

Sam was proud of his family and appreciated their diverse talents, interests and unique personalities.  He is survived by his wife Marcia of 52 years, sons Harold S. Edwards (Carla) of Santa Paula, CA and Charles D. Edwards (Katie) of Longmont, CO and six grandchildren; brothers, Blair S. Edwards of Santa Barbara, CA, Selden S. (Gaby) Edwards of Carpinteria, CA, and sister Hannah (K. Charles) Lakin of Minneapolis, MN.

A Memorial Service for Samuel Roger Edwards will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 22nd at the First United Methodist Church, 133 N. Mill Street in Santa Paula followed by a reception at The Limoneira Company, 1141 Cummings Road, Santa Paula.