Edwin Williams Kilbourne

Growing up, he attended schools in Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, and Los Angeles, and then attended Asbury College, and Asbury Seminary in Wilmore Kentucky. He also did graduate studies at the University of Kentucky, in Lexington. He received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from Seoul Theological Seminary, in Seoul South Korea, and from Asbury College, his alma mater.

He married his childhood sweetheart, Edna Martin, known to everyone as “Nanoo”, or “Aunt Nanoo”, also a child of missionaries to China and Korea, on September 15th, 1941, in Wilmore, Kentucky.

A lifelong Methodist, he and his wife Edna Martin went to the mission field after seminary and his graduate work, serving with what was then called the Oriental Missionary Society, today it is the One Mission Society headquartered in Greenwood, Indiana. They served faithfully in China & Korea (mostly Korea) and then back in Greenwood in an Administrative capacity until his retirement in 1988. Most of his life he was a dedicated professor and missionary pastor in South Korea. He was given the Presidency of Seoul Theological Seminary until a Korean leader could be trained and placed as the new President of this prestigious theological school. He served OMS as field Director for Korea until his return to the United States and Greenwood where he continued to serve as Vice President at Large, a position which took he and Edna across the world, visiting, leading, and training OMS missionaries. He continued in the service of the mission in his retirement, writing three books, two volumes on the history of the Oriental Missionary Society, and one on the land of Tibet. In their final years, they continued to live in Greenwood and then moved to Minden, Louisiana. In 1992 they moved to Manasota Key, in Englewood, on the southwest coast of Florida to be near the sea, which he loved almost as much as he loved Edna. In 2001 they moved to the Good Samaritan Village in Kissimmee, Florida.

Edwin Kilbourne was preceded in death by his wife, Edna, his Mother and Father, E.L. and Hazel Kilbourne, Sister in law, Ella Ruth Kilbourne, Sister in law Vi Kilbourne, grandson Jesse Kohen, and niece Pamela Kilbourne Waites. He is survived by his brothers Elmer Kilbourne, and Ernest Kilbourne and his wife Yoko; son Edwin Martin Kilbourne and his wife Kathleen, and their children, Jenny, Amanda, and Brooke; his son Kent Kilbourne and his wife Terri, and their children Trey, Ford, Lee, Amanda, and Morgan; and his daughter Kay Kilbourne Kohen, and her son Casey, as well as thirteen great grand children.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, September 5th at 10:30 am at the Community Church, Good Samaritan Village, Kissimmee, Florida. In Lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Kilbourne Theological Scholarship Fund, One Mission Society, 941 Fry Road, P.O. Box A, Greenwood, Indiana 46142 (please make checks out to OMS and put Kilbourne Endowment Fund #465820 on the memo line). This fund helps to underwrite scholarships for seminary students in need around the world, and your memorial gift is greatly appreciated.