Rev. Douglas E Edwards

Born October 22, 1924 in Kosciusko, Mississippi to Burton and Minnie (Mangrum) Edwards, he married Ada Jean Sproles on July 27, 1946 in Kosciusko.

He was preceded in death by his wife on November 8, 2010 and his parents.

Surviving are one son, Harry (Cathey) Edwards of Pekin;one daughter, Deborah (Fred) King of East Peoria;Seven grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

A 1949 graduate of the Trades Training Institute at Mississippi State College, he worked at Caterpillar Inc. for 30 years, retiring from the Morton Parts Facility in 1982.

He was also a Baptist minister, serving as a full-time pastor. He was the founding pastor of New Testament Missionary Baptist Church in Pekin, where he remained for 14 years. He also served as pastor at churches in Peoria, Peoria Heights, Pekin, Macomb, and Kosciusko, Mississippi. While on a tour in Israel, he had the privilege of preaching in the Garden of Gethsemane. After his retirement, he still performed weddings, and funerals and filled in as necessary to help local churches.

Even during his illness, he continued to witness and profess his faith in God via e-mail, computer games, including virtual pool (he named his pool table “God is Love”), and listening to his Blue Letter Bible daily

A World War II U.S. Navy veteran, attaining the rank of Seaman First Class, he was stationed at Whiting Field Naval base in Pensacola, Florida and later served aboard the USS Pine Island in Tokyo Bay, Japan

Pastor Edwards was a member of First Baptist Church in Pekin and was also a member of the Ancient Free & Accepted Masons in Peoria.

His funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday,November26, 2011at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin.Pastor Mark D. Friday will officiate. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Missions Department at First Baptist Church, 700 S. Capitol St., Pekin, IL 61554 or to a charity of the donor’s choice.

To express condolences online, visit www.preston-hanley.com