Edmund Viser

Edmund D. Viser, 85, of Taos, New Mexico passed away on May 21, 2017. He was born on November 28, 1931 in Cleveland, Tennessee to Edmund D. Viser II and Mary Stephens Ashe. Some of the highlights of Ed’s life include his undergraduate degree at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and as such was a diehard Tar Heel fan and had an extreme dislike of Duke. He served in the United States Air Force ultimately obtaining the rank of Staff Sergeant and honorably discharged December 15, 1954. Graduate from New York Theological Seminary in New York City where he met and ultimately married Peggy Taylor. Ed and Peggy were married 56 years and have four children and their families. They are: Amy Viser and her wonderful dog Tali of Colorado Springs CO, Michael and Carrie Viser and their two children Amanda and Nathan of Olathe KS, Jennifer and Randy Proffitt and their two children Gabriel and Mackenzie of Tulsa OK, Stephanie and Ron Bush and their three boys, Josiah, Daniel and Jude of Colorado Springs CO. Ed is also survived by his older sister, Anne Scoggin of Louisburg NC who for some reason like’s Duke. After their marriage they served as Pastors for the Presbyterian Church on the Laguna Indian Reservation for 7 years. Other Pastoral assignments included First Presbyterian Church in Leoti, KS an Associate Pastor assignment with the Church at El Paso in El Paso TX for 4 years then accepted a call to be the Pastor at Capital Christian Church in Santa Fe NM for 15 years. After a bit of time away from ministry and through the support and encouragement of his friend March McClain, who was a District Presbyter for New Mexico with the Assemblies of God he became a licensed and credentialed Assemblies of God minister and served as pastor at Christian Family Church in Taos for 12 years till he retired. In addition to his time in the ministry he taught at Western New Mexico University in Silver City NM while still living in Las Cruces NM.
Ed was very dedicated to the calling that he received, whether it was in service to students as a teacher and friend or within the ministry; he had a strong desire to be faithful and true to the ones who called him and to those he was sent to serve. Ed also had a profound love and commitment to the scriptures and wanted to accurately discern what the scriptures were saying so that he could passionately pass along that insight to those who would listen. In retirement he loved spending time with grandkids and looked for any opportunity possible to go fishing with them or alone, any excuse to throw a line in the water regardless if the water was high and muddy or low and clear; fishing was a place of solace. Trains were also a love of his, from the steam engines of the 40’s and 50’s to the Santa Fe F Units of the 60’s, there wasn’t much he didn’t know and appreciate about his beloved Aitchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe. In the final years of his life he fought off attempts to move from what he considered the greatest state in the Union, New Mexico. He lived the majority of his grown life in New Mexico, and there wasn’t a place in this State that he didn’t enjoy except maybe Farmington but he probably liked that because of the quality waters of the Rio Grande being nearby. Ed enjoyed talking to anyone during his retirement years in Taos, always striking up conversations with folks he would encounter. It seemed like there was never a stranger and despite not being in the best of health he constantly looked for opportunity to engage with others. He found it interesting that some of the closest people in his life, those that became caretakers of him and Peggy were people that in the past he probably wouldn’t have spent time with. Evidence of how the Lord is never done with his sons or daughters, always at work in their hearts and lives, using them to be lights and witnesses of his love for the world which is why he sent his son Jesus and why he sent one of his servants Ed. It is fitting that the Lord took him home in the place he called home, Taos New Mexico.

A family and close friends’ graveside service with military honors will be held at a future date at the Santa Fe National Cemetery. Friends are invited to join the family at a Celebration of Life service to be held at The Light of Mission Viejo in Santa Fe NM on Thursday, May 25 at 1 PM.

The family requests in lieu of flowers that an online donation be made to Wells for Life a charity founded by Ed's son, Michael. www.wellsforlife.org