Business and Civic Leader Edwin Friedlander Dead at 93

Prominent Lake Wales business and community leader Edwin Morris Friedlander passed away peacefully in his home on January 19 at the age of 93.

Courtesy Friedlander family

Edwin Friedlander was a citrus grower, rancher, civic and business leader in the Lake Wales community for seven decades. He passed away this week at his home.

Friedlander was well-known among area business and civic circles, having participated in a number of non-profit boards and community efforts, including Lake Wales Hospital, the Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary. He was among a group of business leaders who helped lead a privately-funded urban renewal project in downtown Lake Wales in the early 1970's.

He was a citrus grower and rancher "who worked hard to preserve the way of life and landscape he inherited from his father," according to a statement released by his family.

Friedlander sustained his interest in the civic betterment of the community even in his ninth decade, attending presentations on the Lake Wales Connected and Lake Wales Envisioned efforts. Inspired, he offered his 749-acre ranch to Polk County's CLASAC environmental lands program to become a permanent part of Lake Wales' "Big Green Network."

Friedlander was recognized as both the Lake Wales Citizen of the Year and Pioneer of the Year for his many accomplishments. An Eagle Scout, he also remained involved in scouting, serving on the board of the scouting organization.

Friedlander was a Lake Wales native, having been born on July 13, 1931, at Lake Wales Hospital. He graduated from Lake Wales High School in 1948 and the University of Florida in 1952 before enlisting in the US Army. He was a veteran of the Korean War.

His father was a prominent businessman who operated a chain of department stores bearing his name across central Florida. Friedlander followed in his father's footsteps, operating "Edwin's Variety Store" and Toy World in downtown Lake Wales for several decades.