Edwin E. Rhew Jr. ,73, of Franklin, Tennessee, passed away on November 22, 2024. A devoted husband, father, brother and son, Ed was born in New York to Edwin E. Rhew Sr. and Catherine Rhew on July 13, 1951. He graduated from Palmetto Senior High School in Miami, Florida and went on to receive his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Tulane University. After graduating, he worked as a mechanical engineer with Florida Power and Light (FPL) for over 20 years. During that time FPL earned the Deming award for Excellence. Ed was a member of the FPL team that visited Japan multiple times to learn how to achieve and implement quality improvement innovations. Upon leaving FPL he worked for Executive Learning in Brentwood, Tennessee and then started his own quality improvement company. With his company, he consulted and worked with many other companies, such as Ford, Price Waterhouse, and Johnson and Johnson.
Ed married his high school sweetheart, Paula Forward, on July 28, 1973. They celebrated 51 happy years together in July.
He is survived by his wife, Paula, and their two sons, Stephen Robert Rhew, and Christopher James Rhew. He also has a brother, Russell Rhew and two sisters, Leslie Tiwari, and Priscilla Rhew.
Ed’s mantra in life was to “always have fun.” An outgoing person, he enjoyed many activities such as water skiing, snow skiing, diving, golfing, tennis, and hiking. He was an avid adventurer and loved to travel the world. He and his family enjoyed traveling and cruising all over the world. His family always came first. He endeavored to include and invite his siblings to be a part of everything he did in life. His mother and father were inspirational in this endeavor as they themselves did the same as they stayed close to extended family throughout their lives.
A Celebration of Life will be held December 10, 2024 at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home 3009 Columbia Avenue, Franklin, Tn. Visitation will be from 12-1 and then a small service at 1.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made in his honor to:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation http://www.michaeljfox.org/
Rock Steady Boxing http://rocksteadyboxing.org./
Parkinson’s Foundation http://www.parkinson.org./
