Mary Edwards

On 6 January Mary Fox Edwards’ struggles ended as she slipped quietly from her Earthly bounds into eternal rest. Mary was born in Statesville, NC on 27 July 1929 to Charles Glenn Fox, Sr. and Laura Lee Dixon. She was a direct descendant of John Kincaid, a patriot who fled Scotland via Ireland for the United States in 1745 to join in our struggle for freedom. John was twice captured by the British during the War for Independence, twice hung, and twice survived. He was known henceforth as “Old Crooked Neck!” He moved to North Carolina, settled on 1400 acres in Burke County and established his family of seven children. He was known by everyone as the “Old Patriarch.” Mary, true to her heritage, was also a stubborn fighter. Widowed in 1974 at an early age by the untimely death of her husband, Avery Eugene Edwards, Mary began her career as a Dispatcher for the Newton Police Department, from which she retired. She maintained and supported her family and ultimately enjoyed the graduation of her daughter, Andrea Denise, from the Wake Forest School of Law, and her son, Kevin Todd, from the NC School for the Performing Arts. She was a breast cancer survivor and, in her later years before the onset of Frontal Lobe Dementia, enjoyed travelling with friends, church groups, and her daughter and son-in-law. Whether she was floating down a canal in Alsace, watching the twinkling lights on the Eiffel Tower in Paris from her corner room in the Hotel Regina, or sitting on a patio in Napa Valley sipping a glass of fine wine, Mary savored to the fullest each and every experience. She was devoted to her Schnauzer furbabies “Bogie” and “Beamer,” both of whom predeceased her, and whose ashes will accompany her. Mary was a good friend to all, a fun travelling companion, and the best Mother-in Law for which anyone could ever ask. She is survived by her Daughter, Andrea Denise Edwards (Dr. William Wortman) of Statesville, and Kevin Todd Edwards (Emily) of Newton. There are three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. A Funeral service will be 2:30 pm Tuesday January 10, 2017 at Jenkins Funeral Home Chapel in Newton with Pastor Fred Thompson officiating. Burial will follow at Eastview Cemetery in Newton. Memorials may be made to Doctors without Borders, 333 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10001-5004, Gordon Hospice House, 2141 Simonton Rd. Statesville, NC 28677, or the charity of the donor’s choice. Please sign the online guestbook at www.jenkinsfuneralhome.net. The Edwards family has entrusted arrangements to Jenkins Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Newton 828-464-1555.