R. Kemerer Edwards, 96, of New Haven, Connecticut, and Friendship, Maine, passed away peacefully Nov. 27, 2024, with his family by his side. He was born March 10, 1928, in New Haven to Dr. H.R. and Carol Edwards. He went to Trinity School in New York City and graduated from Yale University in 1949. He was married in 1953 to Phoebe Graham Edwards, his wife of 71 years.
A staunch traditionalist, Kem also lived his life on the cutting edge. He began his career in the 1950s in the insurance industry in the field of computers and data processing when one computer filled an entire room. As Continental Insurance automated its operations, Kem was transferred around the country with his family, sending them from San Francisco to New York City to Columbus, Ohio, and finally to Fair Haven in 1970, where he ended his career as a vice president at INSCO, a subsidiary of Continental.
After retirement, Kem made his way back to New Haven and to Yale. He audited more than 150 courses, attending classes with devotion and completing reading assignments with a singular voraciousness. Though he called himself in his second student life “a perpetual sophomore” and a “gentleman’s C scholar overall,” those who knew him understood that his endless curiosity fueled an intellect beyond measure.
Kem was also a trailblazer in his fitness regimen, taking up jogging in the 1960s, long before the streets were filled with runners and gyms became big business. Decades later, people still remember Kem running the streets of Fair Haven with the family dog. His passion for fitness prepared him for the many hiking trips he and Phoebe took during retirement and well into their 80s through England, Wales, Iceland and the Alps. Kem was a constant presence in the Yale gym and sauna into his early 90s, dedicated and enthusiastic in his health consciousness.
Kem and Phoebe opened their home to countless people over the years – from exchange students to Southeast Asian refugees to people who just needed a temporary place to land. This was just one manifestation of Kem’s deep sense of responsibility to the world around him and those in it. He could also be found in Washington, D.C., accompanying his daughters to social justice marches or volunteering through the Episcopal Church, Planned Parenthood and a multitude of other organizations.
Next to family, Kem’s greatest devotion was to Yale University and the Whiffenpoofs singing group. In 2015, Kem was honored by the Association of Yale Alumni with the Yale Medal for his tireless volunteer efforts in Yale Clubs, Alumni Schools Committees and the Yale Alumni Fund. He served as chair of Agents and Gift Chair, was a member of the Alumni Fund Board and on its executive committee and served on class council. He was class secretary for the Class of ’49, spending countless hours over the decades writing letters and newsletters to keep his classmates connected. He was a Mory’s Council member, a fellow of Jonathan Edwards College and a trustee emeritus of the Yale Whiffenpoof Alumni. Into his 90s he also served as an unlikely but popular advisor to many incoming freshmen.
In his undergraduate years at Yale, Kem was on the swim team and sang in the Glee Club and the Spizzwinks. His truest devotion, though, was to the Whiffenpoofs. Kem’s deep bass voice was unmistakable right up until his last Whiff reunion just weeks ago. He never missed a chance to gather with other Whiffenpoofs to harmonize until the last song was sung. The lifelong friendships forged through a love of song were a source of profound and abiding joy for him.
Kem and Phoebe spent their summers at their home in Friendship, Maine, where Kem had been visiting since his 20s. Kem took great joy in maintaining this house as a family gathering place.
In addition to his wife Phoebe, he leaves four daughters, Carol Edwards of Greenport, New York, Laura Edwards and her wife Ivy Martin of Friendship, Maine, Elizabeth Vander Ploeg and her husband Tom of Hoschton, Georgia, and Susan Edwards and her husband Skip Aluisy of Pembroke, Maine. Kem also leaves his foster sons, Tuan Tran of New Jersey and Kiet Tran of California and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A memorial service was held Dec. 15, 2024, at Trinity on the Green Episcopal Church, New Haven. Kem, a firm believer in the power of giving, lived a life of generosity and philanthropy. In lieu of flowers, he would be honored if contributions were made in his memory to Planned Parenthood or Heifer International.
The article originally appeared in the January 9 – 15, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
