Nell M. Edwards

Nell M. Edwards, wife of Dr. Morton T. Edwards, peacefully, on September 18, 2017. She was affectionately known as “Peenie,” by her five children, thirteen grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Born Nell Kathryn Miller, she spent her early years on a thousand-acre family cattle and tobacco farm in western Kentucky known as Miller Flat, growing up as the beloved youngest, with two brothers Harvey and Mathias and her sister Nancye. She told stories of a rural childhood with dark nights and no electricity, but also of simple pleasures – a pet lamb, Tillie Morris, and a spirited horse, Beauty. Nell graduated from Breckenridge County High School. She attended Bryant and Stratton Business College in Louisville, Kentucky, where she met the love of her life, a young dental student from South Carolina, Tom Edwards, at Fourth Avenue Methodist Church. She was impressed by his character and ability to teach Sunday school; he was taken with her beauty. Nell was the quintessential war bride, married on May 9, 1944. After their marriage, they were separated by WWII for almost four years. In 1947, Nell and Tom moved to Greenville, SC, where he established his dental practice and they raised a family of five children. Nell loved Greenville, claiming that she was such a Greenville booster that she should work for the Chamber of Commerce as an official representative. She was a member of the Greenville County Dental Auxiliary and Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church. She and Tom celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary before his death on July 13, 2013.

Nell was known for her vivacious personality and her dedication to home and family. She was a woman of strong faith who prayed daily for her children and grandchildren. She loved being with people and she could have a meaningful conversation with almost anyone. She possessed a natural charisma that created deep affection for her wherever she went. She was a fashionista to the end, with a trademark hairstyle created for her by Greer stylist Don Vaughn and a stylish wardrobe that delighted all who knew her.

She embraced as family many who cared for her, including Will Kirby, Linda Wallace, Joel Patterson, Freda Moon, Sonia Morris, Nancy Ormeggi, Donald “Pee Wee” Campbell, and John Hatton, as well as the welcoming staff members at Palmetto Fine Foods, Oriental House, and Rafferty’s.

Surviving her are five children and their spouses, Jayne Adair Cox (Basil), Pittsburgh, PA; Dr. M. Thomas Edwards, Jr. (Dr. Janet Edwards), Greenville, SC; R. Bruce Edwards (Laurel), Morganton, NC; Susan Edwards Purgason (Ed), Greensboro, NC; and Dr. William M. Edwards (Nelson), Spartanburg, SC. Also surviving her are her grandchildren: Nell Adair Yates, Ventura, CA; Emilie Edwards Adams, Fuquay-Varina, NC; Kathryn Watts Abbott, Winston-Salem, NC; Parks M. Edwards, Wake Forest, NC; Benjamin T. Edwards and David R. Edwards, Greenville, SC; William H. Purgason, Greensboro, NC; E. Mitchell Purgason, Charlotte, NC; Seth S. Edwards, Anderson, SC; and Nancye Ruth Edwards, Susan Pryor Edwards, Sally Davis Edwards, and William Miller Edwards, Jr., Spartanburg, SC. She was predeceased by a grandson, John Bradford Edwards, Greenville, SC. She is also survived by four great-grandchildren, Adair Lee Yates, Basil Malone Yates, Ethan Thomas Adams, and Asher David Adams. Each member of her large family is blessed for having been loved, encouraged, and inspired by Peenie. She is and will remain the very definition of "unforgettable."

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Mackey Mortuary. A service of celebration for the life of Nell Edwards will be held at Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church, Saturday, September 23, at 2:00 pm. Friends are invited to greet members of the family in the church sanctuary at 1:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in Nell’s memory to McCall Open Arms Hospice, 1836 West Georgia Road, Simpsonville, South Carolina 29680.