Obituary of Dr. Merrill A. Edwards .

Calm, gracious, polite, intelligent, humorous, guiding star and mentor, every day of his life.

Merrill was born on May 12, 1932, in Amherst, NS, son of Prof. Leonard and Bernice (Johnston) Edwards, and passed away on December 30, 2025, with family by his side. He will be remembered as a father, a grandfather, a husband, and teacher of many students at UNB. 

Merrill grew up in in Windsor, NS, where his father was a master at King’s College School. The family moved to Fredericton during his high school years.

He received his BSc (Honours Math and Physics) from UNB in 1953, and his MSc (Geophysics) from the University of Western Ontario in 1956. His MSc thesis was awarded 1st Prize by The Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy in a national competition. His PhD (Biophysics) in the Faculty of Medicine at UWO was completed in 1960. In 1966/67, he held a Special NRC Post-Doctorate Fellowship to do research at Birmingham University in the UK.

He also completed pilot training in the RCAF and was granted his commission in 1951. In 1953/54, he worked as a field geophysicist in New Brunswick, Ontario, and Northern Quebec.

He joined the UNB faculty in 1959, and retired in 1997. He served as Chair of the Physics Department, Acting Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, elected member of the UNB Board of Governors and a member of the UNB Senate.

Highly respected and admired, Dr. Edwards was a consummate educator and made the sciences -particularly his special passions, astronomy and seismology - accessible to all.

Dr. Edwards developed the first courses in geophysics, biophysics, and nuclear reactor physics offered at UNB. In 1974, when the department decided to reintroduce astronomy courses after a lapse of many decades, he taught the first course and continued teaching it until 1990. Initially the course was for science and engineering students, but in 1978, the department initiated an additional astronomy course to provide a science elective in physics for arts students. The course was very popular, and Dr. Edwards taught it for 22 years.

In 1979-81, in cooperation with the University of Maine and the MPBN (PBS), he offered Astronomy 1000EV, UNB's first experience in courses by television. In 1976, Dr. Edwards was instrumental in procuring funding (grants and donations) for the new telescope and observatory on the roof of the physics building. In 1986, as a New Brunswick Bicentennial project, he obtained grants to upgrade and convert the old Brydone Jack observatory into a museum.

He taught summer high school programs for The Royal Canadian Institute, the Youth Science Program, and was one of the first faculty members in the UNB Shad Valley program.  He made numerous appearances on CBC-TV, CTV, CBC Radio, and provided monthly commentaries on the night sky for CBC-FM.

Throughout this busy career (and service on more than 60 academic committees), Merrill always found time for family and leisure.  He was an avid sailor and somehow managed to get out on the water on nearly every visit to the cottage, sharing his passion with family and friends whenever possible.  Cross-country skiing, swimming, cycling, and gardening added to a rich life, not to mention being an incredible father who could seemingly build anything, fix anything, and explain anything.

In 1992, Merrill married M. Jane Gill (Thompson) and embarked on a new life journey.  Together they would take many cruises around the world, entertain with a vibrant circle of friends at home and at the cottage, and enjoy their expanded family. 

Merrill became active with Fredericton’s Golden Club in his later years, and with his many friends, he socialized, sang, and bowled well into his 90s.

He is survived by his sons, Alan (Lauren) and Eric (Molly); stepdaughters, Stephanie Sykes (David) and their children, Nicholas and Peter, and Kathryn Holleran (Michael) and their children, William and Anna; sister, Diane Stephenson, as well as nephews and nieces, Susan, Tim, Ann, Nicholas and Christopher. He is loved and admired by Tiffany, Oliver, Alexis, Mary, and so many others.

He was predeceased by both of his parents, his wife, Jane, his brother, Stirling and by his grandson, Sebastian.

The family would like to acknowledge the kind and attentive staff at the Chalmers Hospital, in particular Dr. Lee and the team on 4 East.

There will be a service of remembrance at Christ Church Cathedral on January 12, 2026, at 2:00 pm with The Very Rev. Geoffrey Hall officiating. A reception at the Cathedral Memorial Hall will follow at 3:00 pm. For those unable to attend, a live stream of the service will be available to watch on the Christ Church Cathedral Youtube channel, https://www.youtube.com/@christchurchcathedralfton/streams.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Merrill's memory may be directed to Diabetes Canada or a charity of the donor's choice.