Robert Michael “Bob” Edwards

A memorial service is being planned for Robert Michael “Bob” Edwards, formerly of Mountain Grove and Springfield. He died Nov. 10, 2024, in his home in West Melbourne, Fla. due to heart failure. Edwards’ wife, Susan, and other family members were present to support him and one another while he was under hospice care. Edwards worked 27 years as a reporter for the Springfield News-Leader and 14 years as a public information officer with the Missouri Department of Transportation based in Springfield. Before moving to Springfield, he worked four years as editor of The Warrenton News in Warrenton. Edwards was particularly proud of his family and loved them all dearly. He had two daughters by first wife, Susan Horvath Scarpitti, with Elizabeth M. Edwards, of Oklahoma, and Eleanor J. Dyer and husband, Chris, of Orlando Fla. He helped raise wife Susan Len Edwards’ two children, Audra J. Mitchell and husband, Zach, of Highlandville, and Scott Q. Woodrow and wife, Megan, of Orlando, Fla., and loved them as his own. His beloved grandchildren are Cameron Dyer and Connor Dyer, both of Orlando, Fla., and Ayca Hatipoglu, of Madison, Wisc. Other survivors include sister, Patricia Edwards, Nixa, and brother William Edwards, Idabel, Okla. He was a native of St. Louis City, born in 1950 to the late Robert X. and Lavern G. Edwards. He was a graduate of St. Mary’s High School and St. Louis University. During his time as a working reporter, he spent a year as an editor/reporter at USA Today in Washington D.C. He helped cover the 1983 anniversary march commemorating 1963’s demonstration for civil rights. He also wrote feature stories from around the Ozarks, ranging from horseshoe pitchers in Crane to apple peelers in Seymour, a church steeple raising in Mount Vernon to the acquisition of new firefighting equipment in Grovespring. He also hosted a public affairs interview program on the former TeleCable of Springfield and appeared as a panelist on statewide and local political affairs television shows.
With MoDOT, Edwards provided news releases to reporters throughout southwest Missouri, helped organize public meetings, managed a customer relations unit, hosted a call-in radio show, helped maintain communications with public officials and business leaders and maintained good relations with MoDOT workers across the region.  After retiring from MoDOT Jan. 1, 2014, he held several part-time jobs; librarian/test proctor at Missouri State University-West Plains, Mountain Grove Campus, courtesy car driver for Wehr Ford, of Mountain Grov,e and delivery driver for Designs of the Times Florist, of West Melbourne, Fla. Bob and Susan moved to West Melbourne, Fla. in late 2019. This was after Susan, a 24-year teacher and administrator at the Mountain Grove Schools, retired. They enjoyed attending grandsons Cameron and Connor’s high school activities, watching space launches from nearby Cape Canaveral and exploring Central Florida’s restaurant scene. Bob was an avid reader, loved old movies and was interested in all sports, especially baseball and all its forms. He played fast-pitch and slow-pitch softball his entire adult life. He took great pleasure in attending St Louis Cardinals baseball games with his children. He often listened to jazz and classical music. Bob attended several St. Louis Cardinals spring training games in Jupiter, Fla., including a game March 23 with all the spouses and kids after he spent three weeks in the hospital. He also became active with the Central Florida chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research The SABR group worked with community leaders in Daytona Beach, Fla. to erect a historical plaque to mark the field where Jackie Robinson first practiced in the spring of 1946 after signing with the Montreal Royals. Bob would like family and friends to live by his favorite passage in the Bible, Proverbs 4:23(NIV)  “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
A memorial service will be held at the Gorman-Sharpf Funeral Home In Springfield, on Monday, Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Convoy of Hope.