M E M O R I A L S P I R I T
Two locations were added: the Whitehaven
and Stage Road Chapels along with increased
full-time staff, independent contractors and
livery to meet the needs of each family who
called. At the time of M. J.’s retirement in 2018
at the age of 91, following 70 years of service
in the funeral service industry, his funeral home
locations were household names across the
Mid-South. He served thousands of families
during their times of bereavement; he even
refused to turn away, in a number of instances,
those who were unable to pay for their loved
ones’ memorials. He took enormous pride
in working with his own son, Kenneth J.
Edwards, for a half century prior to
leaving the business.
As business in the funeral home grew, so did
M. J.’s ability to give back to the community.
He created the M.J. Edwards Foundation, which
enabled numerous sponsorships and contributions
to various Orange Mound projects at Hanley
Elementary School, Melrose High School,
Melrose High School Alumni Association,
Beulah Baptist Church, Orange Mound
Outreach Ministries, along with a number
of churches and organizations beyond the
Orange Mound neighborhood.
The community expressed gratitude to M. J.
in an array of forms. While he frequently gave
without expecting anything in return, arguably
the honors closest to his heart were the M. J.
Edwards library at Hanley Elementary School,
and the Coldwater, Mississippi-based M. J.
Edwards Health Center, established in 2014.
His reach outside the funeral industry was
also vast. He remained president of th
Christian Benevolent Lodge Society, which was
founded by his late father, until his retirement.
Since 1975, he was a member of the Tri-State
Bank Board of Directors, which he served as a
member of the Audit Committee and Chairman
of the Executive Committee; he retired from the
Board as Director Emeritus in 2015. He received
countless recognitions for service and generosity
during the course of his career.
His Philosophy of Life
Many would question, over the course of M.J.’s
life, how a man so driven and successful could
remain so humble and pragmatic.
Clearly, the source of M.J.’s nature was his
walk with God. During his youth, M. J.
accepted Christ’s Lordship over his life at
the McKinley Chapel Baptist Church in
Greenwood, Mississippi, under the leadership
of The Reverend Terrell. Desiring to maintain
and nurture his spiritual walk after his relocation
to Memphis, M.J. united with the Beulah Baptist
Church in Orange Mound, under the leadership
of The Reverend W.W. Williams. As a longtime
member of the congregation, M.J. served as the
Treasurer and Chairman of the Trustee Board for
over sixty years, until the onset of health decline,
during the tenures of former pastor Reverend
W.C. Holmes and current pastor The Reverend
Anthony D. Henderson. M.J.’s preference to
demonstrate his Christian Values routinely
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������
even philanthropic decisions.
His Legacy
Besides his parents, M. J. was preceded
in death by his siblings: Lucinda Edwards,
Dorothea Edwards Dewalt, John S.
Edwards, Jr, Alice Faye Edwards
Harrison, and Tommie E. Edwards.
Those left to relish his love
and memories include: his sons, Kenneth
J. Edwards (Linda) and Monroe J. Edwards
Jr.; longtime companion Evelyn Cooper;
godchildren Reginald Tucker, Sr. (Mar,
Angela Cooper Porter, and Judy Edwards);
grandchildren Kenneth D. Edward
(Kimmerchelle), Kennethra Edwards
and Keiron Edwards; great-grandchildren
Monroe Edwards, Brittany Edwards, Kaniya
Edwards, Keiron Edwards, Jr, and Kingston
Edwards Sanders; siblings Doris Edwards
Hayes, Freddie C. Edwards (Linda), and
Roy B. Hoskins; a number of nieces
nephews, cousins and dear friends, along
with the Cooper, Thompson and Porter
Families, whom he loved dearly.
The name Monroe James Edwards, Sr.
was synonymous with drive, compassion
and philanthropy. His name lives on
in the lives of those whom he touched
and the hearts of those whom he loved.
������������������������������������������������������
��������������������������������������������������������
������������������������������
27