Edward Merriam Chadbourne, Jr., the only child of Edward Merriam Chadbourne, Sr. and Rosalind Simpson Chadbourne, was a lifelong resident of Pensacola. Ed grew up on W. Intendencia St. where the St. Joseph Our Lady of Angels Clinic is currently located, until he moved with his parents to Deleon St. on Pensacola Bay near where Bayfront Parkway traverses the waterfront today. The Deleon Street fortress of a home his civil engineer father constructed was located close to his father's asphalt plant on Gregory Street where McGuire's Irish Pub, and before that, The Firehouse Restaurant were located. He was a member of the Pensacola High School Class of 1953 and attended Pensacola Junior College and the University of Florida where he was a member of the SAE Fraternity.

In the mid-1950's, Ed was introduced to his future bride Ruth Mary Johnson by her brother Chris Johnson. "Chad" fell quickly for Ruth (perhaps because the story goes she trusted him to teach her to water ski before she knew how to swim) and they were married on St. Valentine's Day 1957 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Ed served in the U.S. Army and the Florida National Guard.

Ed worked closely with his parents in the family asphalt paving business which his father started in 1926 in response to the need for paved runways at the Pensacola Naval Air Station.  At the age of 23, after Ed's father died suddenly in 1958, he and his mother took over running Edward M. Chadbourne, Inc. (EMC, Inc.) He often said "he couldn't have done it without the help of his mother", who was in the business world when it was not common for women. There were nail-biting trips to banks seeking loans and Ed's mother Rosalind was a steadfast force helping him during critical years.

Ed and Ruth were blessed with a firstborn son, Edward Merriam Chadbourne, III and then a daughter, Caroline Merriam Chadbourne. Ed became a convert to the Catholic faith, taking instruction from Fr. Frank Geri at St. Paul in the mid-1960's, to more actively participate in the raising of their children in the faith. He would often say throughout the remainder of his life that "the smartest thing I ever did was to convert to the Catholic faith."

Ed never lost sight of the people who helped him and Joe Marques of the Citizens and Peoples National Bank was a pivotal supporter when it was critically needed. He also often recanted Sherrill Oil giving him work when it was badly needed, as well as Daniels Insurance writing insurance for EMC, Inc. when another company cancelled them. In addition to the invaluable support of the aforementioned, Ed was influenced and mentored by several community pillars he called friends: the late sirs, Charles Woodbury, James Baroco, Sr. and Jack Kugelman.

For almost 4 decades Edward M. Chadbourne, Inc. grew and prospered. Ed and the EMC, Inc. team built one of the premier paving and road construction operations in the Southeast.  Throughout its tenure, Edward M. Chadbourne, Inc. completed numerous FDOT, Escambia County, City of Pensacola, United States Navy, United States Air Force and Army Corp. of Engineers projects.

In addition to EMC, Inc., Ed had other business ventures including Beard Equipment Company, a John Deere distributorship he founded with Robert Dunn and William B. Beard. Beard Equipment had the John Deere territory from Montgomery to Pensacola. They later acquired more territory to include Mobile and Panama City.

Ed's industry affiliations included membership in the Florida Roadbuilders Association, Inc., which he served as President of for 2 years 1974 – 1976, and the Alabama Asphalt Pavement Association. He was sought out for his business acumen and impeccable character to serve on the Board of Directors of various organizations including: Citizens and Peoples Nat'l Bank, Bank South and West FL Hospital.

In 1998, the principal family members of EMC, Inc. decided to sell the business to Ashland Inc., a Fortune 500 Company. Ed moved to J.S. Carr and Associates and maintained an office there for a number of years. From 2003-2008, Ed helped his son with a smaller scale site work operation. Ed and his son maintain an office on Hewitt Street where Mr. Chadbourne conducted business every weekday until his health started to fail after having Covid-19 and then getting a Covid-19 vaccine earlier this year.

Next to his family, Ed's greatest pleasure was derived from the "quiet impact" of The Chadbourne Foundation, founded by he and his mother in 1980. He firmly believed in giving back to the community where his business grew and prospered. The primary mission of The Chadbourne Foundation is to assist the truly needy, defined by the Trustees as providing basic human needs. Since its establishment, The Chadbourne Foundation has assisted an average of 30 charities each year for the last 4 decades.

Ed received many awards and commendations over the course of his life, including being installed a Fellow of Pensacola State College Foundation. PSC Foundation Fellows are selected based on their commitment to higher education at PSC and contributions to the community and society as a whole.

Without a doubt, the award that humbled Ed the most is the Cross Pro-Ecclesia Et Pontifice, a Papal award, which Pope John Paul, II conferred on him September 10, 2000. The award is bestowed on lay persons and clergy who have given outstanding service to the Catholic Church.  His conferral in 2000 was the first time the award was bestowed in the Catholic Church of Northwest Florida since 1980.

During his lifetime in Pensacola, Ed enjoyed various social outlets and organizations including:  Pensacola Big Game Fishing Club, Pensacola Country Club where he served on the Board of Directors and Pensacola Yacht Club where he was a regular at the round table. At the PYC round table he enjoyed the camaraderie of Dick Pace and the late Tom Pace, Sr. and others, discussing business, current affairs and all their past boating adventures. Ed was a member of Order of Tristan and Revelers of Ariolla. He served as President of the Fiesta of Five Flags and was the youngest man to ever portray Don Tristan DeLuna at 37 years of age in 1971.

Ed had 2 very special childhood friends whom he remained close with throughout their lives: the late sirs, Pratt Martin and Dick Sherrill. Ed, Pratt and Dick with their families became neighbors on their beloved Seville circle on Bayou Texar. Many years of fellowship and good-natured pranks ensued.

Ed is preceded in death by his parents and grandson, Edward Merriam Chadbourne, IV.

He leaves to cherish his memory his devoted and supportive wife of 64 years, Ruth Chadbourne; a son, Edward and daughter-in-law, Cynthia Chadbourne; a daughter, Caroline and son-in-law, Brian DeMaria; 5 grandchildren who affectionately call him "Big Daddy", Mary Carolyn Forshee, Forrest DeMaria, Rosalind Dottley, Clotilde DeMaria, and Britton Chadbourne; and 7 great grandchildren.

The family would like to thank Fr. Jack Campbell, Parochial Vicar of St. Paul, for his frequent visits to the family home to minister to Ed and Ruth. We would also like to thank Cheryl Allender and her Dream Team of loving and capable caregivers for the abiding care of both our beloved parents in their time of need.

The Funeral Mass for Mr. Chadbourne will be celebrated 2:00pm, Tuesday, September 14, 2021 at St. Paul Catholic Church. A private family interment will follow at Bayview Memorial Park.