Edward Nicolas Rodriguez
October 22, 1961 ~ December 12, 2022
Remembrance of Edward Rodriguez
Edward Rodriguez passed away on December 12, 2022. The cause was esophageal cancer with which he had been diagnosed two years earlier. Ed preferred to fight the cancer privately and shared his diagnosis with few people. He was 61 years old.
Ed was born in Havana on October 22, 1961. His parents, Edgardo and Carolina, planned to seek asylum in the US in the fall of 1962, but the American naval blockade interrupted their plans. The family had to wait another five difficult years before they could finally escape. They arrived in the US with no material possessions, but with the help of family and hard work, they were able to find jobs and buy a home.
Ed lived in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, for a few years then in Miami, Florida. As a teen, his family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he stayed for the next 25 years.
Ed graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans with a Bachelors Degree in Communications. After working for a few years with a non-profit, Ed decided to get a law degree. He graduated from Tulane with a Juris Doctorate then worked for both the City of New Orleans and a private law firm.
Ed’s father passed away in 1996. An only child, he has taken care of his mother since then.
In 1999, Ed wanted a new opportunity and returned to law school at the University of Miami. He graduated with a Master of Laws (“LLM”) in 2001. Ed had been interested in the Washington DC area for years and decided the time was right to make another move. He worked in consulting before being hired by the Federal Highway Administration in 2004. In 2010, Ed joined the Federal Aviation Administration. He retired in 2021 on his 60th birthday.
After moving to northern Virginia, Ed began searching for a serious romantic relationship. In November 2002, he met the “love of his life” in the most modern way of the time: in an online chat room. Ed and Maurice met for a coffee at Caribou that led to dinner and more dates. Within a few weeks, they were inseparable. Ed informally moved in with Maurice and they were together from then on through the good and bad. They married on July 30, 2021.
Ed had a beautiful singing voice. He loved music and all kinds of theater from community, to the Kennedy Center, to Broadway. Ed had amazing senses of smell and taste and never forgot a face. He was natively fluent in both Spanish and English and picked up Italian and Portuguese with ease.
Survivors include his husband Maurice Bourgeois, mother Carolina Rodriguez, and beloved dogs Remy and Lola.
Donations in remembrance of Ed can be made to the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR).
Edward Rodriguez passed away on December 12, 2022. The cause was esophageal cancer with which he had been diagnosed two years earlier. Ed preferred to fight the cancer privately and shared his diagnosis with few people. He was 61 years old.
Ed was born in Havana on October 22, 1961. His parents, Edgardo and Carolina, planned to seek asylum in the US in the fall of 1962, but the American naval blockade interrupted their plans. The family had to wait another five difficult years before they could finally escape. They arrived in the US with no material possessions, but with the help of family and hard work, they were able to find jobs and buy a home.
Ed lived in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, for a few years then in Miami, Florida. As a teen, his family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, where he stayed for the next 25 years.
Ed graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans with a Bachelors Degree in Communications. After working for a few years with a non-profit, Ed decided to get a law degree. He graduated from Tulane with a Juris Doctorate then worked for both the City of New Orleans and a private law firm.
Ed’s father passed away in 1996. An only child, he has taken care of his mother since then.
In 1999, Ed wanted a new opportunity and returned to law school at the University of Miami. He graduated with a Master of Laws (“LLM”) in 2001. Ed had been interested in the Washington DC area for years and decided the time was right to make another move. He worked in consulting before being hired by the Federal Highway Administration in 2004. In 2010, Ed joined the Federal Aviation Administration. He retired in 2021 on his 60th birthday.
After moving to northern Virginia, Ed began searching for a serious romantic relationship. In November 2002, he met the “love of his life” in the most modern way of the time: in an online chat room. Ed and Maurice met for a coffee at Caribou that led to dinner and more dates. Within a few weeks, they were inseparable. Ed informally moved in with Maurice and they were together from then on through the good and bad. They married on July 30, 2021.
Ed had a beautiful singing voice. He loved music and all kinds of theater from community, to the Kennedy Center, to Broadway. Ed had amazing senses of smell and taste and never forgot a face. He was natively fluent in both Spanish and English and picked up Italian and Portuguese with ease.
Survivors include his husband Maurice Bourgeois, mother Carolina Rodriguez, and beloved dogs Remy and Lola.
Donations in remembrance of Ed can be made to the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR).
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Q: What will you miss most about Edward?
A: Ed was an amazing person, and one of the things I remember most about him was his sense of humor. I recall a time when several of us (his work colleagues) were in a Miami restaurant. He had us all in stitches doing his impression of Ricky Riccardo from I Love Lucy.
I’m with you, Mike. Ed certainly had an outstanding sense of humor. On a work trip to Bridgetown, he and I misjudged the distance between our hotel and the restaurant where we had dinner. We ended up “walking across Barbados,” to get back to our hotel and he had me laughing the whole way. Ed also had a kind heart, superb style, and a sparkling wit. He was a wonderful gift to this world.
Ed was without a doubt, one of my favorite co-workers at the FAA! He was funny, quick-witted, down to earth, intelligent (without ever making you feel not so much). Ed rarely got mad (that I saw) but when he did, it was quick and over as soon as it started, and he still maintained his sense of humor during the episode! I have thought about Ed often, while no longer working together. I am sad that I did not have the chance to say goodbye…