Edwin Barlow

Edwin Ford Barlow passed away on Friday, December 10, 2021 after a year long battle with an undetected heart issue.
Edwin was born on May 19, 1942 to Esther J. Barlow and John Y. Barlow in Salt Lake City. As a toddler he was a little runaway. He lived with his family on Lincoln Street in Salt Lake.

His mom, Esther, would go out to the clothesline to hang clothes, and she would put Edwin in a homemade sling to hang on one of the lines as she hung the clothes. He would somehow manage to slip out and run off down the sidewalk, unbeknownst to his mom. When she noticed him missing, she would go out to start searching for him, and would find him holding hands and walking home with a Salt Lake City police officer. His mother said it happened several times, as Edwin was quite an escape artist.

Edwin had a funny sense of humor. When he was older, Edwin had a small wart on his hand, and his brother, Fred had a small slice on his. Edwin picked his wart and put one of his seeds in Fred’s cut as he slept so he would eventually grow a wart in that location. Gross aye?
Edwin was always the life of the party growing up/

Edwin was 11 years old when the Short Creek Raid took place, which caused him to grow up fast because his dad wasn’t around much at this time. He was a fierce protector of his mother, brothers, and sisters.

Edwin was apart of the first graduating class and became student body president of the Colorado City Academy. He got married soon after to his first wife, Vicky, and had three beautiful little girls; Trudy, Susan, and Pauline. He then joined the Airforce and received an honorable discharge about nine months later when he needed to come home and help support his family. Soon after he came home, he and Vicky ended up getting a divorce. Edwin ended up moving and starting a new life outside of his family’s religion.

Later, Edwin met a lady by the name of Joan Dell Lovelady, and fell head over heals in love. They got married and started their family. They moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where Edwin worked at a local gas station selling tires, shocks, and struts. There, Edwin and Joan gave birth to three boys: Edwin, Jason, and Dell. When Dell was 6 months old, the family moved to St. George, Utah where the had Denese, Leland, Susie, Mattie, Jerry, and Reba.
Edwin continued to work at a local gas station called H & H Shell on St. George Boulevard, right next to Nelsons Frost Stop.

Edwin loved his children and liked to doctor all their wounds. One time, his son Dell fell off the back of their pickup truck with a glass of Pepsi. The bottle broke, cutting a huge gash into his wrist. Like the doctor, Edwin thought he was, he pulled Dell into his office and poured a whole bottle of Iodine in the wound. Dell remembers it hurting like crazy. To this day, Dell has a scar that looks like he tried to commit suicide.

One time in the Barlow home, Edwin’s kids were playing around the local golf course, not actually playing a round of golf, but just playing. They found keys to all the carts, and they called all the brothers, sisters, and friends. They took the carts and had a great time. When the kids heard the police sirens, they ran into Edwin’s home and sure enough, the police came and knocked on the door. Edwin opened it to the police officer who said, “We heard there have been some kids that stole some golf carts”. Edwin looked at the cop and said “We don’t know nothing about it. These kids have been here the whole time watching a movie”. He was loyal to his family. Over the years, Edwin and Joan loved taking the children fishing. The kids remember those times as the fun times.

In process of time, Edwin and Joan grew apart and ended up divorcing while the 3 older boys were in middle school and High School. Edwin spent most of his days after their divorce on the road as a truck driver. When the kids got out on their own, a few of the boys wanted a relationship with Edwin, so they reached out and started the relationship again.

Edwin decided in his later years that something was missing in his life and found the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and spent his twilight years serving the memory ward of the meadow’s retirement center. He served as a Sunday School President to President Casperson.

In his later years, he spent a lot of time with his son Dell, and his family. Dell and Edwin were connected at the hip. When Dell went to a lunch meeting, Edwin was not far behind. Dell would receive a call from Edwin daily at 11:30 am asking what they were going to do for lunch. Edwin loved to eat at Blaze Pizza. Dell would buy one pizza for them to share, Dell would eat one piece and Edwin would take the rest home.

About nine months ago, Edwin self-diagnosed himself as having heartburn and began taking over the counter heartburn medication. When he would take them, he would sit down for a few minutes hoping the pain would go away. He went to many doctors, and no one had an answer for his pain.

The day before he passed, Edwin and Dell took a car to Lehi for one of Dells clients. Edwin’s daughter, Mattie, wanted a Washer and Dryer from Lowes in St. George to be brought up. Edwin and Dell spent 15 hours talking and laughing about Edwin’s life, and once again sharing food. Edwin called Dell the night before he passed and told him “I really enjoyed the trip, and you don’t know how much it meant to me that you would help me get home the way you gone did”.

Edwin, we love you and will miss you. God be with you till we meet again.

Love your family,

Edwin, Jason, Dell, Denese, Leland, Susie, Mattie, Jerry, and Reba

Edwin Ford Barlow is survived by Warren Lee Barlow, Orval Fred Barlow, Esther, Gwendolyn, Josephine, and Dell J Barlow. His other brothers and sisters from his mom Esther’s 2nd marriage are Paul, Berkley, Thomas, Don, and Carlos Holm. Edwin is also survived by all his children, Trudy, Susan, Pauline, Edwin, Jason, Dell, Denese, Leland, Susie, Mattie, Jerry, and Reba. Also, by many grandchildren and cousins. Proceeded in death were his mother Esther and father John Y Barlow, his wife Joan Barlow, and Grandson Kayson White.

Funeral services will be held Monday, December 20, 2021 at 10:00am at the LDS Chapel at 550 East 700 South, St. George, Utah 84770.  Interment will be in the Washington City Cemetery, Washington, Utah