Donald V. Edwards, the longtime owner of the Governor Bradford restaurant who was lovingly referred to as “The Gov,” died on June 26, 2022, at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis. With him were his son, Donald, his daughter-in-law, Barbara, and his granddaughter Susie, who held his hand. He was 99.
A Provincetown native, Donald was born on Jan. 20, 1923, the youngest son of John “Chef” Edwards and his wife, Georgianna. As was the case for so many children who grew up during the Great Depression, he left school for work after ninth grade to help support his family.
Near the end of World War II, Donald was drafted into the Army. According to his son, he completed basic training in Mississippi where he met a tall, beautiful woman with red hair named Erma Beech, whom he married twice. But first he had to get through the war.
Donald was sent to New Mexico, where he was one of the troops who served as both assistants and guinea pigs for the first atomic bomb test at Los Alamos on July 16, 1945. From there, his unit was sent to fight in the Pacific, but Donald was diverted to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.
In the aftermath of the atomic bombings in Japan, Donald was sent to Nagasaki to help with the cleanup and evaluation of the bomb’s effects. Upon his discharge, he came back to Provincetown, but soon headed back to Mississippi to see Erma.
They married in a civil ceremony in Mississippi before going back to Provincetown to be married in the church. Following his father’s death in 1949, Donald and Erma settled in to work in the family business, Silva’s Sandwich Shop. In 1960, after spending a decade using his carpentry and craftsman’s skills on the building, Donald renamed it the Governor Bradford.
In the early 1950s, Donald had worked in Provincetown during the summer and picked up carpentry skills from his sister’s husband in Connecticut each winter. By the middle of the decade, he was working as a carpenter for Bill White in Provincetown year-round, eventually doing carpentry work independently. Those experiences were essential to his plans for the restaurant.
Donald bought the property next door, connected the two buildings, and added a second floor. He used bits of old ships to design a replica of a sloop’s bow for the entrance and added a companionway down to the bar, which he built with salvage from the beach and from several houses that he had worked on. The place became a showcase for his craftsmanship.
Donald ran the Governor Bradford with pride. As the former sandwich shop became a full restaurant, he expanded it to include entertainment. In the 1970s, he hosted folk musicians in the spirit of the times. His son continued the tradition, introducing rock groups and drag performances beginning in the 1980s.
Donald lived and worked at the Governor Bradford with his family and friends until his final days. In his prime, he and Erma would take an every-other-year trip to her family home in Mississippi. In the summers, they invited nieces, nephews, and cousins to come to Provincetown to learn the restaurant business while earning money for school.
Donald loved to travel, spending much of the off-season with his wife in their RV or riding his motorcycle. And music was one of his passions; he collected the big-band recordings of his time and played in a family band with his brothers.
He was “one in a million” — a quick wit and “a great teaser,” said daughter-in-law Barbara. When she took him to Outer Cape Health recently to get his Covid-19 vaccination, he howled in apparent great pain after receiving the shot before breaking out in laughter, much to the relief of the nurse. His laugh, Barbara said, was “unforgettable.”
Donald is survived by his son, Donald Ray Edwards, and wife Barbara of Provincetown; his daughter, Marlene Edwards of Provincetown; his six grandchildren, Donald Richard and partner Cole, Susan and husband Scott, Stella, Sarah, Steven, and Donald Valentine; and his eight great-grandchildren, Jasper, Alden, Hank, Jack, Elias, Kasey, Kaylee, and Athena.
Relatives and friends gathered at Gately Funeral Service to visit with the family on July 6. Interment will be at the Hickory Grove Cemetery in Laurel, Miss., where Donald will be reunited with his late wife, Erma.
Donations in Donald’s memory may be made to the Provincetown Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 109, Provincetown 02657.
An online guest book for expressions of condolence for the family may be found at gatelyfuneralservice.com.
