M E M O R I A L S P I R I T
Monroe James “M. J.” Edwards, Sr., a
prominent business leader and celebrated
philanthropist in the Greater Memphis Area, went
to be with the Lord on Friday, March 15, 2019.
The Sumner, Mississippi native was 92 years
old. His legendary work ethic and relentless
drive proved instrumental in his living an
extraordinary life.
His Humble Beginnings
M. J. was born October 23, 1926 to the late
John S. “J. S.” Edwards, Sr and the late Mary
Alice Watson Edwards. The family worked as
share croppers in Holly Ridge, Mississippi,
where they planted and picked cotton on Tom
Robinson Plantation. M. J.’s mother passed
away during his early childhood years, and
his father later married the former Bessie Will
Murphy. The married couple, together with
M. J.’s late grandmother, Pocahantas Edwards,
raised M. J. lovingly in the fear and admonition
of the Lord. Driven and ambitious, J. S. Edwards
wanted a better life for his family, so when
opportunity presented itself via T. J. Huddleston,
owner of Century Funeral Home in Greenwood,
Mississippi, J. S. became the establishment’s
family began the tradition of serving families
during times of bereavement.
J. S. went on to expand his business holdings
stations. He also founded Victory Funeral
Home in Memphis, J. S. Edwards Mortuary in
Hernando, Mississippi and Friendly Funeral
Home in Coldwater, Mississippi, along with
the Christian Benevolent Lodge Society, which
eventually established a credit union serving
as a loan resource for the African American
community. At its peak, it held a million
dollars in assets.
M. J., an industrious servant at heart like his
father, also wanted to contribute to the family’s
success. As an adolescent, he learned to embalm
and make wooden outer burial containers at
Century Funeral Home, while also working at
the other family-owned business. His drive to
succeed prompted his relocation to Memphis,
where he graduated from Orange Mound’s
Melrose High School in 1948 and attended
LeMoyne-Owen College.
savvy multi-tasker, M. J. purchased ownership
shares from The Reverend A. R. Williams and
Bishop Moore and joined his father in the
Victory Funeral Home, another distinctive
Orange Mound Memphis institution at that time.
His Patriotic Service
M. J. served his country by enlisting in the U. S.
Army. As a soldier, he helped run the Motor
Ambulance Company while completing Tours
of Duty in Germany, England and France. He
Victory Ribbons prior to receiving an Honorable
Discharge on October 29, 1946.
His Birth of a Dream
At the time of his father’s death in 1966, M. J.
was actively involved in carrying out his father’s
entrepreneurial legacy. However, he wanted
to do more - namely, create his personalized
contribution to the world. He secured a building
in Orange Mound at 1165 Airways Boulevard,
and in March of 1980, he established the M. J.
Edwards and Sons Funeral Home, naming the
Reverend David Craft and Evelyn Cooper as the
along with Morse Joye and many others, worked
to improve the building.
After the launch of an ingenious and aggressive
marketing campaign in Memphis’ Commercial
Appeal, promising complete funeral service
packages from $295, business at M. J. Edwards
Funeral Home began to grow. The Heat Wave
of 1980 prompted an increase in deaths and a
home, resulting in the Edwards Funeral Home
becoming a family tradition for scores of Greater
Memphis Area families. M. J. remained proud
of this feat, and continued to refer to it for the
remainder of his life by often saying, “The
good part about $295 special was, if that’s all
you wanted to spend or all you had to spend,
we gave what we advertised.”
His Later Years of Success
M. J. Edwards Funeral Home and continued
to grow.
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