Farewell to Ed Romer
I’M SAD TO SAY THAT 77 YEAR OLD EDWARD ROMER, AKA, “DANGEROUS DAD” HAS PASSED AWAY.
Big Hearted Ed Romer stops for a photo opt with Solon, (a Jax Beach Grom) 66 years younger than he.
He was always sure to remind me that he was 15 years older and since we were both named Edward he liked to call me Junior, (being 61 years old myself, I thought that was funny)! As a matter of fact, we shared many laughs over the past few years. Some people didn’t get his dry sense of humor and thought he was a grumpy old man but that’s not true. Once you got to know him he was a great warm hearted guy. I was never sure how he got the Dangerous Dad nickname, (and I never asked), but I can guess. You see Ed, was always the guy sitting out beyond the crowd on the outside pier sandbar. He waited patiently for the biggest sets of the day and rode them through to the inside where all the groms were. I witnessed a couple times where he had to do some maneuvering to avoid colliding but he was always in control. The way I saw it, he was “Hotdoggin” and getting the most out of his waves. I can just hear the groms on the inside saying: “That’s Dangerous Dad, lookout for that old guy!” It was a bit comical but nothing was further from the truth. He rode his board with precision and never hit anyone that I know of. He certainly caught his share of waves. Ed was full of life and lived until the very end. You might think he passed away from a long illness but not so. He passed in a freak accident driving his golf cart at his mountain home in Georgia. Without a doubt, he’ll be missed by the Northeast Florida surf community. Our prayers go out to his family and friends…
Words by Eddie Pitts
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- This sequence: Ed Romer at 75 years old, Summer 2015.
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- Big Hearted Ed Romer stops for a photo opt with Solon.
