Kenneth W. "Kenny" Edwards

SERVICE UPDATE - A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, May 9, 2021 at the Zanesville Lions Community Park, 3308 W. Van Horn Street in Zanesville, Indiana. A boxed luncheon will be served following the service.

Kenneth W. Edwards, 83 of Zanesville his wife, Melba is sad to say that Sunday, August 30, 2020 her husband passed away with congestive heart failure at Parkview Huntington Hospital. He was not at the hospital for very long and passed peacefully in his sleep. God gave us all what we call a miracle as on Thursday, he rallied and opened his eyes to talk a little to all of his kids and grandkids at his bedside and by Zoom. During this sharing time, little Hopi, soon to be two years old on Grandpa’s birthday, leaned down to kiss him and she told him “Grandpa, I love you to the moon and back.” Later at the funeral home they offered to send some of Grandpa’s ashes to the moon, needless to say we declined the offer.

They all told him they loved him and what a good father, grandfather and great grandfather he was. No one could ask for a better husband, father or friend. He had been Melba's best friend for 66 years and she will greatly miss him.

When he was three years old his parents moved to the Crow School, one half mile north of Zanesville. Melba was born on the McBride farm, one half mile south of Zanesville. Both were born in 1936. Kenny spent all his school time at Lafayette Central, graduating in 1955. Melba spent her school years at East Union Center, graduating in 1954. It was at Lafayette’s graduation in 1954 that Kenny noticed Melba and later arranged through a mutual friend, Lynn Smuts, to meet her and ask her for a date. The date turned into a proposal of marriage a year later and a wedding that fall. The wedding was a small one with only a Labor Day weekend for a honeymoon, because Kenny had been accepted into the General Electric Apprentice School and was to start classes on Tuesday. Melba was employed in the offices at S.S. Kresge at Baer Field.

Their first home was a nineteen foot trailer with no bathroom and no running water. It was parked at Melba’s folks’ on the farm, and they paid five dollars a month utilities. In the spring of 1956, their first son, Douglas was born. In 1957 the Edwards purchased their first home and moved on #224 in Markle. They paid $2,500.00 for the house and the payment was $25.00 a month. The heat bill ran about $90.00 a year. It was while they lived there that a second child, Robin, was born in 1958. Soon after, Kenny graduated from apprentice school as a fill fledged tool and die maker.

On graduation, along with their diplomas, they received $100.00 and their lay-off slips. He never returned to GE when they called him. He immediately was hired by Franklin Electric in Bluffton and a few months later took a better job at Model Engineering in Huntington. After a year there, he was laid off and was told he would be called back soon.

In the meantime he had met Jerry Yeoman while working there and he knew that he had just recently opened a new shop on Etna Avenue. He went out to talk to Jerry who said he had six weeks work for him. After the six weeks were up Jerry hired him permanently, and for many years after, Jerry would come around on his anniversary and tell Kenny that he had six weeks more work for him. Kenny spent 28 happy and productive years working for Jerry and his son, Ed. The last four years of being employed there, he was shop manager. Ed had taken over for his father when Jerry passed away, and then Ed was taken by a heart attack at the age of 36. Kenny left Yeoman’s to take a new job at J.B. Tool in Fort Wayne where he worked until retiring in 2008 after over 20 years. There he was the only moldmaker. He enjoyed working with the younger guys and teaching them his “old ways”.

In 1959 they bought a new home in Skyline addition in Markle. They enjoyed many years there and added three more to the family. Pollyanna was born in 1962, Jennifer in 1965, and James “Jim” in 1970. In 1973, the Edwards family moved back to their hometown of Zanesville. Since June 1973 they lived in Melba’s great grandfather’, Michael’s home which was purchased by him in 1857 when it was the Zanesville House Hotel. It has never been out of the family since.

In Zanesville the family has enjoyed being involved in church work, Lions Club, many, many charity events, and writing the Zanesville History Book and heading up the Centennial Celebration in 1976. After moving back to the big house, they added two more to the family making a total of seven lovely children. The last two came at once in the form of twin boys, Jonathan Michael and Jeremiah Martin. They were an unexpected joy to all when they were born one week late on April 18, 1977.

The Edwards family has been through many happy and many trying times. The most trying times were the loss of our oldest son, Doug, at the age of 40 from cancer. He passed after a two year fight on September 19, 1996. The other time was when our granddaughter, Anna Miller passed away at the age of 18 after being diagnosed with cancer in October 1994. She was not expected to live through the night but through the grace of God she almost made it to her 18th birthday.

Happy memories with family and friends help us to this day to get over these losses as we love to talk about the great times. When we were married in 1955 we planned on having six children. God had a different plan when he sent us twin boys making the number, 3 girls and 4 boys. The boys won out.

Kenny was born on November 17, 1936 in Fort Wayne, the son of the late D. Wayne and Mildred (Garrison) Edwards.

Kenneth and Melba McBride were married at the Zanesville Church of God on September 2, 1955. Melba is the daughter of Donald and Mary Martin (Botts) McBride.

Kenny is survived by his wife Melba, children: Robin Edwards Phillips; Pollyanna (Fred) Wymer; Jenny (Rick) Nes; James "Jim" (Jenny) Edwards; Jonathan (Sarah) Edwards; Jeremiah (Brandy) Edwards; 28 grandchildren: Doug’s – Shane, Skip; Pollyanna’s – Brock, Brice and Baili; Jenny’s – Andrew; Abigail’s - Amy, Anna, Aarika, Avery, Amber, Ashley and Addy; Jim’s – Cole, Kade and Quin; Jonathan’s – Maxon, Arlo, Amelia and Ansel; Jeremiah’s – Elijah, Emma, Noah, Bella, Llyla, Zeke, Shepherd and Hopi; 16 great grandchildren: Shane’s – Mia and Lily; Skip’s – Titus, Crete, Nico and Phoenix; Brock’s – Logan, Parker and Gabriel; Brice’s – Maci, Gage, Chip and Orion; Bailis' - Isaac Amy’s – Wes; Abigail’s – Lexin. The boys still outnumber the girls 28 to 16. Other survivors: daughter-in-law: Tammy Berning, son-in-law: Leon Berning; sister-in-law: Mary Lou Burkhart; brother-in-law: Dave (Karen) McBride and a sister: Theresa Herring.

A celebration of life with family and friends will take place on Sunday, May 9, 2021 at 2:00 pm at the Zanesville Lions Community Park, 3308 W. Van Horn Street in Zanesville, Indiana with Chaplain Brice Bennett officiating.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made out to Zanesville Lions Club in care of Myers Funeral Home, P.O. Box 403, Markle, IN 46770.