Edna Ray Fiedler, 76, passed away on February 24, 2024, after a brief battle with cancer. She was born April 30, 1947, in Texas City, Texas, to Vera Ruth and William Kenneth Ray, Jr. Edna spent her childhood moving regularly with her military parents and her older sister, Linda. She had lived in 20 cities, including Nome, Alaska, Fry, Arizona (now Sierra Vista), and San Antonio, Texas, by the time she was in high school. She had a thirst for knowledge, and when she tired of her high school, she dropped out, got her GED, and started college at Trinity University, graduating Summa Cum Laude. She received her M.A. in Psychology and her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Colorado, both with fellowships. While in Colorado, she met Fred Fiedler, wed, and had their son Stephan in 1971. She pursued post-graduate studies in Clinical Psychology in San Antonio, TX, and completed a Clinical Child Psychology internship in Amarillo in 1975. 

In the late 70s, Edna and Fred divorced, and in the early 80s, Edna met and married Richard Green and had her second son, Aaron. Edna, Richard, Aaron, and Stephan lived in San Antonio, TX. After several years, Edna and Richard divorced, and Edna was a single parent again. She worked full time as a tenured Professor of Graduate Studies and Psychology Department Chair at St. Mary’s University, then worked for the U.S. Air Force validating the mental health screening test for the Air Force and Navy while rearing her two sons, and excelled at all, though she was too humble to talk about such things. In the early 1990s, Edna met Walter Sipes at a conference, and by 1994, they were married, and Walt’s son, Topher, became Edna’s son, too. Stephan was away at college, and Topher and Aaron, who were the same age, kept Walt and Edna on their toes. In the early 2000s, the family lived in Norman, Oklahoma, where Edna worked for the Federal Aviation Administration, while pursuing more graduate work on the History of Science at the University of Oklahoma.  

Throughout her life, Edna was a leader, a mentor, and a great friend. She was the liaison between Baylor College of Medicine and NASA, responsible for determining funding and optimizing human factors on the International Space Station and for space exploration in general. She was on numerous astronaut selection committees, and after 9/11, she was on the panel that provided psychological screening for the first group of U.S. Air Marshals. She was a writer, reader, and researcher at heart and authored or co-authored more than 30 professional psychological articles and 4 book chapters on clinical, military, and space psychology. She presented more than 50 papers on psychological topics in Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Singapore, Canada, and in cities across the United States. She won numerous professional achievement awards for her work with the Johnson Space Center and the Federal Air Marshal Applicant Implementation Team.

As demonstrated by her many accomplishments, Edna had a broad and deep understanding of her profession, but more importantly, she was a wonderful friend and sister, a loving mother and wife, and a fun and engaged grandmother. She touched so many lives and had so many interests. From her love of jewelry making to sewing, to Tai Chi, to the Chinese strategy game of Go, she found new interests all the time that helped her connect with her family and friends. She was always learning, always growing. After retiring, she took many classes on art, history, and science at the University of Arizona, just for fun. She loved her family with everything she had. Edna and Walt bought a house in Tucson in 2006 soon after hearing Stephan and his wife Audrie were going to have a baby, and that Stephan had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. 

Edna’s two grandsons were her greatest joys. She and Walt took Leif, now 17, on numerous vacations, and they held “summer camp” for Leif in their backyard during the pandemic. They helped raise Leif, always offering to shuttle him around and spend time with him while his parents were at work.

When Lev, now 7 months old, was born in 2023, Edna and Walt were almost immediately on a plane to London, where they supported Aaron and his wife Anya for two months with babysitting and providing whatever the new parents needed.

Edna loved and supported so many, and we will all miss her, always.

Edna is survived by her dear husband, Walter Sipes of Tucson, AZ; her three sons, Stephan Terre (Audrie) of Tucson, Aaron Green (Anya) of London, England, and Topher Sipes of Austin, TX; her brother, William Kenneth Ray, III, of Many, LA; her grandchildren, Leif Terre and Lev Green; many cousins, nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews; and many, many beloved friends and colleagues. She was preceded in death by her parents, Vera Ruth and William Ray, Jr., and her sister, Linda.

Friends and family will celebrate a beautiful life well lived and a woman truly loved at Loews Ventana Canyon, Flying V Restaurant, in Tucson, AZ, on Sunday, March 3, at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in memory of Edna Fiedler to one of the following organizations:  

1.  Tucson Museum of Art: https://12194a.blackbaudhosting.com/12194a/Annual-Fund

2. Arizona State Museum: https://statemuseum.arizona.edu/donate/objects

3. Tucson Public Library (Pima County). Use the following address to donate money via PayPal or credit card: https://www.library.pima.gov/donate/#money

Or, use the following address to donate to her legacy:  https://www.library.pima.gov/donate/#legacy
which requires the following form (only accepts checks): https://www.library.pima.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2014/09/PCPL_DonationForm.pdf 
4. A charity of your choosing.