Edwin Howard William Eschler

Ed Eschler

A funeral service will be held for Edwin Howard William Eschler, 35, of Coquille, at 11:00 am April 5th, 2025 at the Coquille Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2405 Shelley Road, Coquille, Oregon. A Committal service will follow at the Norway Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Nelson's Bay Area Mortuary.

Edwin Eschler was diagnosed with cancer in June of 2024.  He and the medical community fought long and hard, and the battle ended on Friday, March 21, 2025. The cancer was closing his airway, so Ed was scheduled for a surgical procedure which he was told might be fatal. In the morning of the day the surgery was scheduled, he wrote the following obituary for himself:

Edwin Howard William Eschler was born in Coquille Valley Hospital June 17, 1989. The Eschler's had just opened a video store downtown where Ed would later spend hours speaking to the Ninja Turtles in the sewer grates and recommending movies to adults. 

  Ed was lucky to have been born in a hospital at all. Laura and Fred Eschler had been 5 hours away at a conference learning how to run their new business. Fred had driven up, planning to sleep during the day, and come home. Labor saw Laura driving them back down.

 Kathleen, Becky, Esther, Jennifer, Elizabeth, Carl, and Albert preceded Edwin in birth. Edwin’s life basically went from adventure to adventure. As his older siblings got married and had kids he got to meet some of the more interesting people to hang out with. As he got older and attended BYU he got to meet Dre and Blake; at Baylor he met James and Ken; and in High School he met his Mom’s good friend Santino.

Ed also enjoyed Adventure of a more fantastical variety. His cousin introduced him to Dungeons and Dragons at a young age and Ed has been playing ever since. From his first game with Chuck, Carl, and Albert, to High School games with Cody, Allen, Ben , and Justin, to his Baylor game with Juliette, Michael, and Andrew, to his current group Santino, Jesse, and Diego, Ed’s gaming friends are a colorful network of rogues and heroes that have expanded his world in some way. Ed tried to share this experience with his nieces and nephews, and with the youth at the Local Boys and Girls club where he ran their D&D program for several years.

This is beginning to sound like a list of names, but Ed’s best stories involve names. Winning the Hot Dog eating contest at Blake’s White Sox party, climbing Mt. Royal with James (and pre-gaming by eating Canadian Tex-Mex). Triple Movie Marathons with Nathan, Clancey, and Eric. Family reunions with the Taylors; fishing, riding horses, and dune buggies, enjoying food and company. Too many names, too many stories. 

Some sad names. Ed is preceded in death by his sister Elizabeth, his aunt Jennifer, his cousin Levi, and his Grandpa Earl and Grandma Helen on his mother’s side. On his father’s side, he is preceded by his father, Frederick, Grandpa Carl and Grandma Mildred. There is an entire celestial… choir seems wrong, assembly - beyond this. New faces, new adventures. Ed is excited to see his good friend Caleb there.

 One last (and First) name, Christ - Alpha and Omega. Dying suddenly of cancer has been a surprise, but trusting myself to Christ has helped me through. He died for me. I hope that I have lived and died for him. I love you all with only a fraction of how much he loves you, and it’s literally more than I can bear. I love you all. Amen.

If you would like to make a donation in memory of Ed, contact Boys and Girls Club of Southwestern Oregon online, in person, or by mail.  3333 Walnut Ave., Coos Bay, OR 97420, 541-267-3635

 Arrangements are under the direction of Nelson's Bay Area Mortuary, 405 Elrod Ave., Coos Bay, Oregon 541/267-4216