Former AHPA lobbyist, Edward James Wren, passed away, surrounded by those he loved, on July 31, 2010. He was 68. Born in Syracuse, NY, to Edwin Francis and Helen Beatrice Wren, Ed grew up in NY and Florida. He graduated from Florida State University in 1964.
After graduation his work would take him from Florida to our nation’s capital, and in 1975 landed him in Phoenix, Arizona, where he would become a prominent and respected lobbyist. Ed ran Wren & Associates, an influential public and governmental relations firm in the Valley. During his 35 years in Arizona he tirelessly dedicated himself to his work and charitable organizations. He was a founding member of the Board of Phoenix Children’s Hospital and served on the Fiesta Bowl Advisory Committee. In particular, the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) was a cause very personal and dear to which he gave his heart and soul.
Prior to his arrival in Phoenix, Ed held various positions in Washington DC, including Press and Legislative Assistant to U.S. Congressman Lou Frey, Jr. (R-FL). Most notable was his service in the Nixon Presidential Administration, where he served as Deputy Director of Public Affairs in the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) at the White House. During his time at the White House he also worked alongside former Vice President, Dick Cheney, where they were special aides to Donald Rumsfeld, who was Director of OEO and a counselor to President Nixon. He later served two years as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation at the federal government’s then largest agency, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
Ed was an avid lover of movies and music and most enjoyed time well spent with his family and friends. His friends will miss him dearly, and his family will miss him desperately. He is survived by his children Chip, Louisa, Beth, Allison, and Chris, their families and seven grandchildren, as well as his brother Bill and his sisters, RhiONA and Mary Anne. He goes into the embrace of his mother, father, and two brothers, Dennis and Sanford, who passed away before him.
Ed remained a LIfe Member of AHPA and served as the Association’s lobbyist until 2006.
The family is planning a Visitation at the Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 E. Indian School Rd., from 5pm – 8pm on Wednesday, August 4th, and a Memorial Service for 11am Thursday, August 5th at The Brophy Chapel, 4701 North Central Avenue in Phoenix, AZ. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International.
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