Edward LaPrade

Edward Andrew Laprade was born in Christian County Kentucky on June 26, 1926 to Joseph and Vinnie Mae LaPrade (she remarried to Robert Pettigrew (deceased). On March 10, 2021, Edward LaPrade Passed peacefully in his home. He was preceded in death by his loving wife Alleane LaPrade, Son, Eugene Ross. Siblings: Robert Pettigrew, Joycie Mae (LaPrade) Trice, Callie (LaPrade) Bush, Winfred Pettigrew, Reese Pettigrew, Nancy (Pettigrew) Billingslea.

He is survived by: his only sister Bobbie (Pettigrew) Crump of Dayton Ohio and his children: Blanche Dade, Joe Laprade, Patricia Singletary (Lynn) and Nancy

Laprade, 9 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, 8 great great grandchildren, and a host of nephews and nieces.

Edward grew up in Kentucky where he attended school and worked a variety of jobs including tending to race horses at the Kentucky Derby and worked on the Illinois Railway System. He was a construction worker and later became a Building Supervisor for Fairfax County Schools in VA. He was a humble man with good common sense and a good natured person willing to accept employment and provide for his family.

He married Alleane and they had four children and his son Eugene. He decided to leave Kentucky for better employment opportunities in Virginia in the late 1950’s continuing until he finally retired from the Fairfax County School System in 1992.

He loved life and was always a very spiritual minded person and was diligent in reading his Bible daily/nightly and always asked for help to understand it. He loved people and would help anyone if he could. He was a wonderful provider and a family man who taught his family that love was more important than material things. He enjoyed singing even if he didn’t know all the words, playing horseshoes which was part of his recreation along with riding horses. He also enjoyed a good southern meal. He loved telling this one particular story about the cross-eyed mule. (Humorous)

His religious background was Baptist for many years, but he often felt that something was missing in his worship for a long time. So, it was after his wife passed away, who was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, that he began searching for a better understanding of the truths she had shared with him long before her death. He was invited to a Bible discourse at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses and was treated with such warmth and love by all in the congregation. After continued visits, he began to really start understanding the Bible a lot clearer than he had before and learning the truth about God and his place in God’s Kingdom (Matthew 6:9, 10). One of the brothers from that congregation offered to come to his home and to share scriptures with him from his own copy of the Bible and he accepted. He also found the meetings faith strengthening and he looked up as many scriptures as he could and continued attending the meetings faithfully.

He discovered he now had friends in over 240 lands worldwide and he loved them and they loved him. He was no longer lonely. He even enjoyed participating in the programs and commented at one the meetings and he would speak to others about what he was learning. One day while at one of the meetings he started to cry and when asked why, he said “he was so appreciative and grateful that Jehovah took him under his wings in his old age and taught him the truth with tenderness and love.” He said, “now I see why my wife studied the Bible and became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, I saw what I was missing.” Learning the Bible’s real truths as his wife did, made him feel good, whole, and closer to God.

He loved each and every one of his family members and friends dearly as well, as making new ones. No last goodbye’s for him, but he said “see you in Paradise, at the big reunion with our loved ones and friends. He learned that Jehovah God promised it would happen. Hope to see you all there” (Revelations 21:3,4)

A Virtual Visitation for Edward will be held on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 from 12:00-01:00pm. Video presentation - Edward's Life: 1:00 - 2:00pm . A Virtual Funeral Discourse will be held from 2:30-3:30 pm. The link to access these services may be found below. Edward LaPrade will be laid to rest in National Memorial Park 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA 22042.