The life of William “Bill” Edwards, a local businessman, philanthropist and, at times, political booster, will be honored at a Celebration of Life ceremony at 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, at the Mahaffey Theater in downtown St. Petersburg.

Edwards, who is a Vietnam War veteran and a U.S. Marine Purple Heart recipient, passed away in late August. He was 81.

The Celebration of Life will feature Edwards’ family, friends, colleagues and members of the community coming together to share stories and memories of one of the Tampa Bay region’s most prominent business and community leaders.

Edwards had numerous business interests in the region over the years, including Mortgage Investors Corp., a St. Pete-based company he founded that served more than 300,000 active-duty military members and veterans over the course of 25 years, according to his family.

Edwards, throughout his career, was also known for reinvesting into the city he called home. In 2011, he and his Big3 Entertainment assumed management of the city-owned Mahaffey Theater. Under his leadership, the Mahaffey Theater became one of the Tampa Bay area’s signature entertainment and arts venues. Edwards stepped down from management of the venue earlier this year.

Edwards’ commitment to the arts was unmistakable. He established the Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts, also in 2011, to help preserve and later expand the Class Acts youth education program at the Mahaffey Theater. Over its 14 years following Edwards’ involvement, the program provided, typically at no cost to students, opportunities to experience live theater, dance and other arts programming.

Outside the arts, Edwards owned the Tampa Bay Rowdies and invested in improvements to Al Lang Stadium, where the team still plays. He also owned the downtown St. Pete development Sundial, which became a sort of center of downtown life complete with a movie theater, fine dining and upscale shops and boutiques.

Edwards also served on the nonpartisan Host Committee for the 2012 Republican National Convention. He gave extensively of his time and money to support Veterans Airlift Command, Keep Memory Alive, CaP CURE, All Children’s Hospital (now a Johns Hopkins campus) and the Cleveland Clinic, among others.

Edwards was a 2013 inductee into the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame. In 2025, he was named a Lightning Community Hero by the Tampa Bay Lightning, which came with a $50,000 grant that he directed to the Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts.

The Celebration of Life is intended to be just that, with a lively ceremony meant to uplift those who loved, respected and otherwise cared for Edwards, including sharing stories that made him unforgettable in the community and beyond.

The Celebration of Life is open to all.

The Mahaffey Theater is located at 400 First St. S. in St. Pete.