Edward H. Spurgeon

Edward H. Spurgeon (Ed) 90, born on February 23, 1930, in Hawthorne, CA, passed away May 27, 2020. He resided in Cypress, CA at the time of his passing.

As a thirteen year old Boy Scout, his very first job was working as an extra on the movie set of "Mission to Moscow", in 1943. This was his first and last experience in the movie business.

He was a graduate of Inglewood High School in 1948, where he weighed 137 pounds and warmed the bench for the football team. After graduating from high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and became a photographer's mate. During his time in the U.S. Navy he served aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Princeton during the Korean War.

After his honorable discharge from the Navy, he started his career in aerospace with Hughes Aircraft. After leaving Hughes Aircraft, he went to work at North American Rockwell, where he was a photographer for the X-15 and B-70 programs. He flew in many zero-gravity training missions with the Apollo astronauts. During his time there, he also became a high-speed motion picture photographer. After major layoffs at North American, he became the manager of Stottlemyer's Deli in Belmont Shore for a few years.

In 1975, he opened Cypress Photo Art store. He spent much time teaching and talking about his passion for photography. Many days were spent in the darkroom, developing photos. He was involved in photography from the time he was in Jr. High School. In 1991, he closed the store and decided to focus on his other passion – police work.

He joined the Cypress Police Department as a Technical Reserve Officer, in May 1991 – where he was quickly recognized as the 1992 Employee of the Year. After 14 years of service, he retired in May 2005. After retiring, he quickly returned as a member of the Volunteer in Policing (VIP) program. He donated 3,240 hours of service and was the first recipient of the "Service with Distinction Award".

Throughout his years in Cypress, he was the City Photographer, photographing most city events including City Council Meetings and the Annual Cypress Community Festival & 5K/10K. He was an avid theatre goer, loved traveling the world, and spending time gardening.

He was preceded in death by his parents Harold and Helen Spurgeon and his sister Jean Meyer. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Janet, two daughters and their spouses Sandra (Rich) Doerr. Carol (William) Dumas and his grandchildren William (Kimberly) Dumas and Jennifer (Brian DeMoy) Dumas and his Great-Granddaughters Lily, Brytani, and Brooke.

Arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn, Cypress, California. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations be sent to the Cypress Police Department, with a note "In honor of Ed Spurgeon". Any donations received will go toward a memorial for him at the police station.