Obituary of John Edwards

John Carr Edwards, Jr. Funeral services for John Carr Edwards, Jr. of Elsberry, MO were held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 10, 2005 at the First Christian Church in Elsberry. Rev. Connie Atchley, church pastor, officiated with burial in Elsberry City Cemetery. Serving as pallbearers were Brent Fruechte, Carey Edwards, Barry Schaefer, Karl Olson, Mike Gibson, Steve Rathbun, Christopher Jaeger and Shane Schaefer. Mr. Edwards, 90, died Friday morning, May 6, 2005 at Barnes-St. Peters Hospital in St. Peters, MO. Born June 22, 1914 in Dameron, MO (rural Elsberry), he was the son of the late John Carr and Ruby Edna Young Edwards, Sr. As a young man, he worked for several years for W. D. Bradley Funeral Home in Elsberry. He was united in marriage on May 7, 1936 in Bowling Green, MO to Mary Lee Howard. He worked for nine years at Gladney Motor Company in Elsberry. He was then employed for 27 years by Pundmann Ford in St. Charles, MO where he was the Parts & Service Manager, retiring in 1979. Mr. Edwards was a member of the Greater St. Louis Parts & Service Managers Association. Mr. & Mrs. Edwards lived in St. Charles for 22 years before returning to their farm in rural Elsberry in 1975. Avid gardeners, he and his wife were members of the St. Louis and St. Charles Rose Societies. After his retirement, Mr. Edwards worked part-time for Ricks Funeral Home and later Carter-Ricks Funeral Homes in Elsberry and Winfield. He was a member of the Elsberry First Christian Church, where he served as Deacon and Elder, and was named Elder Emeritus on August 7, 1983. Besides his parents, Carr and Ruby Edwards, Sr., he was preceded in death by his brother, Ray B. Edwards, his sister, Marjorie G. Earnest, and his daughter, Ruby Lee Edwards Fruechte who died December 28, 1999. Survivors include his beloved wife of 69 years, Mary Lee Edwards of Elsberry; one son, John Howard Edwards and his wife, Jane, of St. Charles; six grandchildren: Brent (Brenda) Fruechte, Caryn (Karl) Olson, Michele (Barry) Schaefer, Dawn (Mike) Gibson, Denise (Steve) Rathbun and Carey (Sarah) Edwards; and eleven great-grandchildren: Christopher, Shane, Brooke, Renee, Natalie, Riley, Alexis, Austin, Carson, Destiny and Taner. He also leaves his son-in-law, Rev. Leland L. Fruechte of Oceanside, CA; one sister-in-law, Elizabeth Ann Parker and her husband, Tom, of Paris, MO; several nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Visitation was held from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. Monday, May 9, 2005 at Carter-Ricks Funeral Home in Elsberry. Memorials may be given to the Elsberry First Christian Church Memorial Fund or to the Oak Ridge Cemetery Fund in care of Carter-Ricks Funeral Home, 107 South Fifth Street, Elsberry, MO 6334