Obituary of Danny Edwards

Danny Duane Edwards was born on February 16, 1947 to Donald and Vira Edwards in Twin Falls, Idaho. An only child, Danny graduated from Twin Falls High School in 1965 and attended Northwest Nazarene College where he studied religion and art. In 1966, Danny enlisted in the Army National Guard during the Vietnam War. He completed basic training at Ft. Polk, LA and was subsequently awarded a place in combat medic school at Ft. Sam Houston, TX. He was honorably discharged in 1972 with the E-5 rank of Spec/5. After praying for a life partner and companion, God brought Filer native Lynda Sharp to Danny in early 1970. They were engaged sixteen days after the two first sat together at a church revival and married six months later on August 1st . While this short courtship resulted in 52 years of wedded bliss, Danny jokingly cautioned his kids and grandkids against the practice. The two had three children: Scot, Holly, and Dustin. Danny began his career in broadcasting, and his signature bass voice brought Magic Valley news to viewers of KMVT and listeners of KLIX. After leaving broadcasting, he went on to work alongside his father as an appraiser before pursuing his true passions in life. Since childhood, Danny desired to work with his hands. Ever the curious youngster, his mother would often find—much to her dismay—that a household clock or kitchen appliance had been disassembled so an inquisitive boy could decipher its innerworkings. Most of them were never successfully reassembled, but his desire to earn a living by his hands only grew. In 1976, alongside his father, he started Dande Wood Manufacturing, a bedroom furniture and waterbed business. In 1980, the father-son duo added a retail component in the Twin Falls Lynwood Shopping Center: Danny D’s Waterbeds. It was around this same time that Danny discovered the talent for which he would become world-renowned. A walk in the park in the late 1980s drastically changed the course of Danny’s life. He encountered a gentleman at an art fair named Earl McAdams, a local firefighter and amateur sculptor. Danny was captivated by Earl’s work and asked many questions. A few short years later, Danny divested from the furniture business to try his hand at sculpting professionally. While Danny tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to hide his first sculptures away in the basement, his skill and notoriety grew throughout the remainder of his life. What started as a humble venture in his garage eventually grew into a professional art studio, a commercial bronze foundry, and global notoriety. His handiwork can be found in the halls of prominent businesses, historic places, and the homes of dignitaries, including the late President Ronald Reagan. Danny’s artistic works can be found prominently displayed across the world, including in Germany and Singapore. His larger-than-life-size monuments, the most viewed and publicly adored of his works, include: “Chance Encounter” and “Over the Top,” the western wildlife trademarks of Jackson Hole, WY; “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” a depiction of Christ located on the Nampa, ID campus of his alma mater (though students will likely know him as the creator of the unofficial mascot “Howard the Elk”); and “Trailin’ Home,” a tribute to Idaho’s sheep industry in the historic hubs of Hagerman and Hailey. Each of Danny’s sculptures was stamped with a stand of three pine trees, capturing the two things he held dearest: the Holy Trinity and the great outdoors. Outside his visual artistic abilities, Danny was also a talented musician. During his early years, he visited many local churches as the bass singer in numerous gospel quartets. Later on, he and Lynda were part of a travelling musical evangelist group called The King’s Brass. He played trumpet and she the saxophone and piano. In his fifties, as church music began to modernize, his music pastor noted a need for a bass guitar player. Never one to back down from a challenge, Danny volunteered, purchased a guitar, and painstakingly learned to play as Lynda played the notes on their basement piano. The hard work paid off, however, and he played in numerous bands and church ensembles the rest of his life—though his signature warmup song, cowboy ballad “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” sometimes confused the other members of his rock bands. To his family and friends, Danny will be remembered as a masterful storyteller, a brilliant inventor, and a powerful witness for Jesus. His eloquent stories, usually told beside a campfire near the Sawtooth Mountains, captivated generations of his offspring. His inventive mind brought about more sturdily- build and well-designed contraptions than anyone can count, with his stretch-wire gate latch, mobile elliptical machine, and UTV dust mitigation system being the most memorable. He always put his family first, and each of his children and grandchildren can point to a conversation (or twelve) where he reminded them that the riches of this world cannot compare to a life of faithful relationship with Jesus. Surrounded by family, Danny entered into Glory on January 20, 2023, after a valiantly fought battle with lung cancer. Though the disease took his body, his family takes great comfort in the knowledge he has finally won victory over sickness through Christ Jesus. He is survived on Earth by his wife Lynda; his mother Vira; children Josh and Holly (Edwards) Beymer and Dr. Dustin Edwards; and nine grandchildren: Justin (24), Madison (22), and Shayne (18) Edwards; Tanner (28) and Taylan (24) Beymer; and Drew (22), Lauren (20), and Jaiden (8) Edwards; and Reese Katzenberger (14). He was preceded in death by his father Don and his son Scot. A celebration of life will be held at the Magic Valley Bible Church in Twin Falls on Sunday February 12 th at 3:00 p.m. All who knew this incredible man are welcome to share in his memory.