Obituary of Theresa Edwards

Kernersville-Theresa Snow Edwards, age 94, passed away Friday, September 14, 2012. Funeral Services celebrating her life will be held 11:00AM Saturday, September 22, 2012 at Main Street United Methodist Church with Pastor Jeff Patterson, Rev. Dale Hilton, and Rev. Rick Carter officiating. Prelude music will begin at 10:30. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. A native of Forsyth County, Theresa was born on February 11, 1918, the daughter of the late Lake Gray Snow and Charles Franklin Snow, Sr. of Kernersville. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 51 years, James Marvin Edwards, a sister Cornelia Snow Adams; a brother Charles (Charlie) F. Snow, Jr., and infant brother Wesley Gray Snow. Theresa graduated from Kernersville High School in 1935 and from Women’s College (now UNC-G) in 1940 where she studied music and majored in Education. She taught first grade for three years at Union Hill School near High Point, NC until the beginning of WWII. In 1943 Theresa and three fellow teachers left for Washington, DC where they served the war effort as civil servants, working with the Signal Corps. In the fall of 1945 Theresa returned to Kernersville where she continued her career as a an elementary school teacher, a career that would span more than three decades as a first grade teacher at Colfax, Sedge Garden, and Kernersville Elementary Schools. She taught reading and writing and arithmetic. She taught her students how to tell time and tie their shoes. For many years she had a piano in her classroom and included music and art in her teaching. She loved children, and many former pupils remember her fondly. She retired in 1978 after 34 years of teaching. Theresa married James “Red” Edwards of Kernersville on December 21, 1946. They were married for 51 years and had one daughter (Nancy). In 1949 James and Theresa moved into one of Kernersville’s old historic homes, the J. W. Meredith House, on South Main Street where they lived for many years. They loved their old home and years later were avid members of the Kernersville Historic Preservation Society. In 1950 James opened a photographic studio in the back of the house and Theresa, who was artistically inclined, hand colored the portraits. They always had a garden where they grew vegetables and flowers, and had a special affinity for rose gardening. Theresa enjoyed arranging flowers and often shared them with friends and with her church. She loved to cook and was an excellent seamstress. Theresa loved her family, especially her nieces and nephews. She was a devoted wife and mother. As a child and young adult Theresa was an active member or the First Baptist Church of Kernersville until she married James. In 1947 she joined Main Street United Methodist Church and has been a faithful member of that church for 65 years. She served the church in many different capacities as President of the United Methodist Women, Coordinator of Elementary Children’s Ministries, and Chairman of the Work Area on Education and Vacation Bible School, Chairman of the Work Area on Worship, Lay Delegate to Annual Conference, Circle No. 3 Program Chair for many years and Historian for the UMW. She was a Sunday school teacher for many years. She served on various committees of the church including the Building Committee for the Educational Building, the Long Range Planning Committee, and Committee for the 150th-Year Celebration of Main Street Church and others. She played piano and organ, and sang in the Chancel Choir for 58 years. She is survived by one daughter Nancy Edwards Blakemore; her son-in-law Richard W. Blakemore and his mother Hilda Blakemore of Kernersville; a brother-in-law Richard Edwards, Sr.; two sisters-in-law Betty Edwards and Louise Edwards Sapp; and a host of beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. In her last years Theresa, like her sister Cornelia, suffered from the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease for nearly a decade. But even in her infirmity she remained a gentle and kind soul. Her caregivers often remarked how easy it was to care for her. It takes an entire “village” to truly care for a person with Alzheimer’s. The family would like to express appreciation to all the individuals and organizations that were a part of “Theresa’s Village.” They are: immediate family and friends; pastoral staff and church family from Main Street United Methodist Church, Dr. Sherry Ryter-Brown and staff at Kernersville Family Practice; The Shepherd’s Center of Kernersville, Home Loving Senior Care Agency of Kernersville; Jan Sawyer and the Daybreak Respite Program from Centenary United Methodist Church of Winston-Salem; the staff of the Horizons Memory Care Unit at Kerner Ridge Assisted Living; Pat Deskin and the staff of Physicians Eldercare; Gentiva Nurses; the nurses and staff of Hayworth House and the Sisters of the Mother of God at Pennybyrn at Maryfield, High Point; and Hospice of the Piedmont. These all made the long journey with Theresa from the beginning to the end, making it possible for her to have the very best care available along every step of the way. Our hearts overflow with gratitude. The family will visit with friends on Friday evening, September 21, 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Pierce-Jefferson Funeral Home. Friends and family may sign, and view, the guestbook at www.Pierce-JeffersonFuneralService.com Memorials are asked to be directed to the Blackwell Music Fund or the New Building Fund of Main Street United Methodist Church, 306 S. Main Street, Kernersville, NC, 27284. Service Information