When he was young, Edwin Adair thought about being an engineer or a doctor.
In the end, he was both.
Adair, 76, who died April 21 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, was a urologist and surgeon for many years.
A service is planned today at 1 p.m. at Emmanuel United Methodist Church, 2700 S. Downing St.
Adair came up with ideas for less invasive surgery and perfected endoscopes and video cameras for various surgeries.
Adair, who lived in Castle Pines, held more than 200 patents in the United States and other countries, most of them in optics, fiber optics and electronics. He and his son, Jeff Adair of Highlands Ranch, were developing a new technique for a disposable endoscopic camera that could be used in internal screening.
“I’m just sorry he never lived to see the project finished,” Jeff Adair said.
Adair and his sons, Jeff and John Adair, had a company, Micro-Imaging Solutions, which will market the new product.
Adair also studied genetic engineering in animals.
Adair “was ingenious and a voracious reader” of medical journals and research papers, said longtime friend, Dr. Dean Bayne, a gynecologist in Lone Tree.
“He had journals from five years back in his office. It was difficult to find Ed when you went into his office,” Bayne said.
Despite his accomplishments, Adair never bragged about his work and in fact was a quiet person.
“If he ever got upset about anything in the 40 years I knew him, no one knew it because he was so quiet,” Bayne said.
Adair made sure his kids had chores at home, inside and outside, said son John, of Westminster.
And he taught his daughter, Linda Prenzlow, to sew, having learned it from his mother. Prenzlow now is a professional seamstress specializing in wedding gowns.
Edwin Lloyd Adair was born in Colorado Springs on June 19, 1930, and graduated from Palmer High School. After medical school at the University of Colorado, he served in the Army for 13 years. His medical practice was in Englewood and Littleton.
He married Pat Horsley in 1976.
In addition to his wife, sons and daughter, he is survived by five other sons: Gary Adair of Oxnard, Calif., Mark Adair of San Diego, Randall Adair of Denver, Matthew Adair of Deland, Fla., and Thomas Adair of Highlands Ranch; two stepsons, Van Horsley of Littleton and Lee Horsley of Los Angeles; his brother, Willis Adair of Washington; and 24 grandchildren.
Staff writer Virginia Culver can be reached at vculver@denverpost.com or 303-954-1223.
