Edward W. Abendroth

Edward William Soo Bok Abendroth was born on October 12th, 1988 in Fairfax, Virginia to Bob and Diane Abendroth; he is the eldest of their five sons. His family moved around several times during his childhood, finally settling in Bowie, MD, where he lived from age 11 to 27. During elementary school, Edward attended New Hope Academy, as well as other schools. He flew to Korea before turning 13, having been accepted into an international middle school program. He loved being in Korea and was there for two years. He became proficient at speaking and understanding Korean. When he came back to Maryland, he was accepted into the Science and Technology Program at Eleanor Roosevelt High School. After completing high school, he went on to get a degree in finance at the University of Maryland, completing his four year degree in three years.             In 2012, Edward was blessed in marriage to Julia Aika Becker, originally from Kodiak, Alaska. Before his marriage to Aika, Edward was typically hard-headed and reserved in his relationships with his family and many others. Aika brought out warm qualities in Edward which he seldom expressed previously. Together, Edward and Aika sought a life of exploration, competition, and discovery. Edward found great joy in learning and seeking a higher understanding of all things, whether he was travelling, memorizing historic facts, or solving a logic puzzle. Edward highly encouraged others to be enthusiastic about learning and have a critical approach toward life. He never accepted things the way they were and always questioned the status quo, seeking to rethink the way things are done. Edward was a tutor for SAT prep and this past year he participated in a STEM program for middle schoolers working with robotics. An excellent and patient teacher, Edward had a way of expressing concepts in understandable ways to people of all ages. In July of 2014, their first daughter, Michela (Mikki) Abendroth, was born. Mikki’s birth really brought a change in Edward’s heart, which continued to soften when his second daughter, Margaret (May) was born two years later in August 2016. While Aika was still pregnant with Mikki, Edward decided to get a second degree, this time in computer science. During his final semester, he was offered a job as a computer scientist for the Navy in Dahlgren, Virginia, where Edward, Aika, and Mikki moved after Edward’s graduation in 2016. May was born soon after the move. Having children of his own brought Edward so much happiness, but that happiness also spilled over into the lives of his parents and brothers. Edward will be remembered forever as a family man. He cherished time with his family, and always pushed them to spend more time together.         Edward's passing was much too soon and much too sudden. He will be dearly missed by his parents, Bob and Diane Abendroth, his wife, Aika, his two daughters, Michela (age 3) and Margaret (age 1), his four younger brothers, Richard, James, Robert, and John, his Grandmother, his aunts and uncles, his seven cousins, his beloved in-laws, and his close friends, all of whom were so important to him in his life.