Edwin (Ted) Winder Aldous, unparalleled husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, and healer of maladies both physical and spiritual passed away on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 surrounded by those who mattered most to him on earth and was undoubtedly greeted with enthusiasm by his loved ones in heaven.

Ted was born on June 28, 1940 to Anne Cannon Winder and Edwin Frost Aldous. On the day he was born, his father, having been banned from the hospital when the doctor grew tired of watching him pace nervously, went golfing at the Bonneville Golf Course to pass the time and scored a hole-in-one—the first and only of his life. His dad’s hole-in-one on the day of his birth proved to be an apt metaphor for Ted’s life. In all pursuits, whether professional, personal, or spiritual, he gave all he had and achieved extraordinary success. Most notable of all, though, was his success as a husband, father, and grandfather. Ted was kind, gentle, thoughtful, quietly humorous, and determined to do the right thing at all times and in all circumstances. Indeed, he exemplified Proverbs 31:28: “[His] children rise up, and call [him] blessed.” His righteous impact on his children, grandchildren, and many generations to come was undoubtedly his crowning achievement.

Ted was proud of his pioneer heritage as the great-great-grandson of Brigham Young and Emily Dow Partridge and enjoyed reminding his wife, Sydney, who was also a descendent of Brigham Young through a different wife, that he is slightly closer than she to their noble ancestor since he is only TWO “greats” removed while she is three.

Ted was an excellent student, excelling in math and science, and decided to pursue a career in medicine. He attended college at the University of Utah before being called to serve the Lord in the East Central States (which included Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, and West Virginia) in June of 1960. While he was serving as a missionary in April of 1961, he received a letter telling him that his mother, Anne, had passed away from breast cancer. Ted returned home from his mission in the summer of 1962 and resumed his studies at the University of Utah. In September of 1962, he met the love of his life, Sydney Young Sharp. Ted wrote that he was “smitten from the first.” Sadly, Sydney, who was at the party with a date, did not take nearly as much notice of Ted as he did of her. He managed to finagle an introduction, however, and then patiently waited three months for her to break up with the boy she was dating so he could swoop in and ask her out. For their first date, Ted and Syd saw “Lawrence of Arabia” and got hamburgers at Hires Big H, a spot that remained a favorite through their 57 years of marriage. They were married on September 9, 1965 in the Salt Lake Temple.

While in the honeymoon phase of their marriage, Ted and Syd gave each other unique and affectionate nicknames. Ted was Poopsie and Syd was Poopsie Lou. We think they called each other Poopsie and Poopsie Lou more than they called each other by their actual names. That was just one of the many ways Mom and Dad showed us kids that they loved each other unconditionally and forever.

Ted graduated from medical school in 1968 and he and Syd moved from Salt Lake to Menlo Park, California so Ted could do his residency in otolaryngology at Stanford University. From there, they went to Fort Campbell, Kentucky when Ted’s medical skills were required by the United States Army towards the end of the Vietnam War.

From Kentucky, Ted and Syd returned to Menlo Park but ultimately landed in Salt Lake City, where they raised their five children, Anne Marie, Jennifer Lynn, Michael Sharp, Susan Noelle, and Lindsay Jane. Ted opened a private practice in West Valley City and spent 40 happy years taking out tonsils, putting in ear tubes, straightening deviated septums, and diagnosing sinus conditions.

Dad held many church callings ranging from Sunbeam Teacher in the primary to bishop of our large ward. Regardless of the visibility and prestige-level of the calling, Dad gave it 100%. He was also the unofficial Ward Physician and performed countless scout physicals in our living room. It was not uncommon for him to meet ward members at his office after hours or on weekends to clean out someone’s ears or place a few stitches in a lacerated finger—all free of charge, of course. During the last three years while Dad has struggled with his own health and especially over the last few months as he has declined rapidly, we as his children have heard countless stories of the quiet service Dad gave to ward members. These stories were all new to us because Dad never talked about himself or the good things he did for others.

In more recent years, Ted and Sydney served three missions together: two based in Washington DC and one based in Boston. Ted served as the medical advisor for the missions. He tried to retire from medical practice prior to each mission, but each of the three times he returned home after completing a mission, he found his way back to work as a physician. He couldn’t seem to get retirement to stick. When he did have time off and eventually after he finally retired once and for all, he turned his attention to his yard. Together, he and mom turned their yard into a veritable paradise. Their pool was always open for grandchildren, and he was known to make phone calls to grandchildren telling them that “the pool was lonely” and needed someone to come swimming. For Dad’s sake, we hope his mansion in heaven has a huge yard full of trees that need pruning, lawns that need edging, weeds that need pulling, and pools that need cleaning.

Perhaps Dad’s greatest legacy is his family, which includes five children, 25 grandchildren and, to date, five great-grandchildren. Mom and Dad went out of their way to find ways to bring us all together, including yearly family vacations to Newport Beach. Because of Mom and Dad’s extraordinary focus on family and their efforts to foster closeness and genuine friendship, their children and grandchildren are each other’s best friends and dearest companions.

Every summer as all 25+ of us drove across the desert to Newport Beach for our annual family week in the sun and sand, we knew that Mom and Dad had gone on ahead, arriving in Newport a day or two before the rest of us. They did all the grocery shopping for the week, decorated the condos we stayed in, and made things ready for a wonderful week of fun family time. That is how we choose to think of this temporary separation we are experiencing from Dad and Mom. They have gone on to heaven ahead of us and are preparing a place for us to live as a family into the eternities. When we get there, you better believe their mansion will have the best yard for miles around, trees pruned to within an inch of their lives, and a coat of fresh paint.

Dad’s favorite musical is “Les Miserables.” He loved one particular line in the finale: “Take my hand, and lead me to salvation. Take my love, for love is everlasting. And remember the truth that once was spoken: to love another person is to see the face of God.” Dad lived his life in such a way that he constantly saw God’s face because he did such an extraordinary job of loving others. And he taught us, his posterity, to see the face of God as well. Even as we mourn his departure from this earthly life, we rejoice when we imagine Poopsie returning to the arms of his Poopsie Lou.

Ted is survived by his five children: Anne (David) Whitaker, Jennifer (Steve) Moffat, Michael (Kortnie) Aldous, Noelle (Bryan) Wright, and Lindsay (Richard) Gilbert. He is also survived by 25 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Friends are invited to join the family in celebrating Ted’s remarkable life at a viewing to be held on Tuesday September 3, 2024, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 2245 East 3900 South in Salt Lake City. Funeral services will follow immediately after at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be at Valley View Memorial Park, located at 4335 West 4100 South.