Thomas Elliot Edwards

Tom was born in Seaboard, NC on June 19, 1932, to the late Dallas and Dorothy Edwards. After graduating from Seaboard High School, Tom served in the U.S. Army in Japan shortly after the Korean Conflict. Afterward he graduated from East Carolina University, where he met his sweetheart, Sue Richards of Zebulon. Their 59th anniversary would have been Thursday.

Tom was a sales manager for Ciba-Geigy Pharmaceuticals (now Novartis), working with the company for 32 years before his retirement in 1993. He took great pride in hiring, training, and mentoring many employees who launched successful careers under his guidance. He was devoted to his church, Crabtree Valley Baptist, where he taught adult men’s Sunday School for 45 years and served as a deacon. He was a member and past president of the Raleigh Host Lions Club, as well as a chaplain of American Legion Post 297.

Tom loved working in his large garden, but what brought him even more pleasure was sharing the produce with friends and neighbors. He enjoyed riding around his farms in Seaboard and fishing in farm ponds with a cane pole. He was a compassionate friend and neighbor who will be missed by many.

Tom is survived by his wife, Sue; his son, Thomas Edwards, Jr., M.D. of Atlanta; his daughter, Amy E. Price of New Bern, and her husband Todd; his “favorite grandson,” Duncan Price of Raleigh, and his “favorite granddaughter,” Emily Powell and husband Thomas of Johnson City, TN. He is also survived by his sister, Patricia Barnes, and brother-in-law, James Barnes of Seaboard, and sister-in-law Lib Edwards of Margarettsville, along with several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Donald Edwards.

The family will receive visitors at Crabtree Valley Baptist Church, 4408 Lead Mine Rd., Raleigh, on Wednesday, June 27 at 1 pm, followed by the funeral service at 2 pm. Entombment at Raleigh Memorial Park Mausoleum will follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Crabtree Valley Baptist Church, P.O. Box 30954, Raleigh, NC 27622.