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Louise Riker Edmonds, a longtime Sag Harbor resident, died September 27 in Alpharetta, Georgia. She was 87.
Born on February 21, 1929 in Newark, New Jersey, to chemist Adrian Riker Jr., and housewife and philanthropist Elizabeth (Larter) Riker, she had lived in Rye for several years prior to her recent move to Alpharetta.
Known as “Lou,” Ms. Edmonds was educated at the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, like her mother and aunt before her, and three daughters after her. Upon graduation in 1946, she went on to study classics at Bryn Mawr College. She returned to her alma mater in 1950, fresh-off-the-press undergraduate degree in hand, to teach Latin to generations of young women at Masters School. She married Thomas Hartley Edmonds in 1951 and gave birth to the first of four children in 1952. She retired from her teaching post and moved to Sag Harbor in 1992, after 42 years in Dobbs Ferry.
Well-read and widely traveled, Ms. Edmonds projected a quiet, unassuming brand of authority. She did The New York Times Sunday crossword in pen, her thumb was green, and her ability to decline irregular verbs was evergreen. She was civic-minded and charitable, creative and kind: Christmas gifts were equally as likely to be a hand-knit sweater as a donation made in the recipient’s name to Habitat for Humanity. A lifelong learner, she was insatiably curious and could often be found nose-deep in a book. She often remarked that she reached her full height of 5’10” at the age of 12; and survivors said they had been in the shadow of those long limbs, and in awe of her towering intellect, lively spirit, and warm heart ever since.
Ms. Edmonds is survived by three of her four children, Ann L. Edmonds, Thomas H. Edmonds Jr., and Beeara Edmonds, and their spouses; and by five grandchildren, Emily Edmonds-Langham, Simon Riker, Brian, Adrian, and Jeffrey Edmonds. She was predeceased by a sister, Elizabeth Riker Young; a daughter, E. Ryan Edmonds; a granddaughter, Anneliese Edmonds-Langham; and her former husband, Thomas H. Edmonds.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 29, at noon, at Christ’s Church in Rye, with the Reverend Tim Lewis, of St Ann’s Episopal Church in Bridgehampton, officiating.
Memorial donations may be made to St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, for the food pantry, 2463 Main Street, Bridgehampton, NY 11932, or The Nature Conservancy - The Center for Conservation, P.O. Box 5125, East Hampton, NY 11937.
on Oct 5, 2016