Obituary: Jesse C. Edwards
A beloved son, brother, husband, father, father-in-law, Pop, uncle, teacher, and coach, Jesse Clifton “Cliff” Edwards Jr. 32°, age 77, of Oakboro, formerly of Kinston, went to his heavenly home on April 13, 2025. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jesse Clifton Edwards Sr. and Helen French Edwards of Kinston, his grandparents, Samuel Millard Edwards and Minnie Whitfield Edwards of Kinston, and Sidney French and Ada Case French of New Bern.
He is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Mary Lynn Pickler Edwards; daughter, Elizabeth Edwards Holland (Jeffrey) of Valdese; grandson, Clifton Lyle Holland and girlfriend Emilee Altice of Rocky Mount, VA; sister, Helen Carol Edwards McNew (Edward “Kip”) of Crozet, VA; two brothers, Stuart Michael Edwards and friend Ann Brinson of New Bern, Millard Carl Edwards (Louise) of Morehead City; and sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Joy Leisel Pickler Owen and Robert Frederick Owen of Oakboro. Also surviving are his nieces, Stacey Lauren Edwards Meeks of Greenville, Stuart Logan Edwards Eddings (Josh) of Greenville, and Jennifer Owen Davis (C. Todd) of Chapel Hill. Also surviving are his nephews Edward Kyle McNew (Beth) of Charlottesville, VA and Jess Lee Edwards (Dacie) of Kinston, and great nieces and great nephews Connor Edward and Claire Elise Meeks, Ruby Hayes and Wade Elliott Eddings, Aiden Harold and Colin Edward McNew, and Leah Rose and Mary Helen Edwards. Also surviving is his maternal aunt, Jean French Thomas, of Siler City, as well as numerous cousins.
Cliff was born on June 27, 1947, in Kinston, graduating from Grainger High School in 1965 prior to attending East Carolina University, where he graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. Cliff’s first year of teaching was at New Bern High School before returning to Kinston, at which time he began his tenure at Arendell Parrott Academy (APA) in 1970. In 1972, APA’s athletic conference offered girls’ basketball, where Cliff organized the first APA women’s basketball team. Cliff coached girls’ basketball for twenty-two years with the exception of the eight years he spent as the store manager of Lester’s True Value Hardware. Later, he returned to APA where he retired in 2013. While at APA, he was a well-respected football coach, tennis coach, as well as the girls’ volleyball, basketball, and softball coach. During his tenure at APA, Cliff had the annual dedicated to him twice and received the Annie Belle Edwards Hobgood Distinguished Faculty Award in 2007. He was inducted into the class of 2014 Inaugural APA Athletic Hall of Fame.
Upon his retirement, he and Lynn moved to Stanly County where he continued to tutor math students in his church and at the Oakboro STEM school. Some of Cliff’s favorite pastimes were deer and turkey hunting, fishing and gardening, and spending time with his family and friends. Cliff enjoyed his time preparing for his Sunday school lessons, and many people were enriched by his years of Sunday school teachings. Cliff attended several churches in Lenoir County and throughout the years, he served as a Trustee, a Deacon, and on various committees to include Pastoral Search, Youth, and Long-Range Planning. He and Lynn were the youth directors for several years while their daughter was in middle and high school, and they both sang in the choir for twenty-five-plus years.
Cliff was a Master Mason of the Richard Caswell Lodge in Kinston where he was a member for forty-one years, as well as a member of the Scottish Rite of New Bern, NC, for forty years. Cliff also has a pending application for Sons of American Revolution (SAR) through his Whitfield ancestral line.
Stanly Funeral and Cremation Care of Albemarle is serving the Edwards’ family. Visitation will be at the Oakboro Community Building/District Park, 423 South Main Street, Friday, April 25, 2025, between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. The Celebration and Memorial Service, officiated by Reverand Jonathan Waits, will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, 2025, in the Fellowship Hall located behind the First Baptist Church of Oakboro, 322 N Main St., Oakboro, NC 28129. Immediately following the memorial service, there will be a graveside service with Masonic rites at Oakboro Cemetery. The service will be live-streamed on First Baptist Church of Oakboro’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to First Baptist Church of Oakboro, Building Fund, PO Box 10, Oakboro, NC 28129, Arendell Parrott Academy, Building Fund, 1901 Dobbs Farm Rd., Kinston, NC 28504 or to Hospice and Palliative Care of Cabarrus County, 5003 Hospice Lane, Kannapolis, NC 28081. The family would like to thank the doctors and staff in the offices of Dr. Prabin Lamichhane of Oakboro Family Medicine; Dr. Todd Moore of Levine Cancer Center; and Cliff’s Hospice “angel” team, Jennifer Mayfield, Stacy Howard, Astella Drakeford and his afternoon sitter, Kelly Burleson, for their kindness and companionate care.
Cliff’s legacy will be the work ethic he instilled in his family, students, and ball players. Cliff and Lynn envisioned, planned, and eventually built their home on “Ever-Greene Farm.” It was built on land designated as a NC Century Farm, in Oakboro, for all their family and friends to visit, enjoy, and realize that…quiet is good for the soul.
