Ethel May Edwards

Ethel May Edwards, 82, of Scottsbluff died Wednesday, December 5, 2007 with her family by her side. A memorial service will be 2:00 p.m. Saturday, December 8, 2007 at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Scottsbluff with Fr. Kelsey Hogue officiating. Inurnment will be in St. Francis’ Episcopal Church Columbarium. Cremation has taken place at Sunset Memorial Park Crematory. Ethel was born May 17, 1925 in Mahanoy City, PA to Wilson Albert and Elizabeth (Jenkins) Miller. She moved at the age of three years with her family to Waterbury, CT. She attended Woodrow Wilson Grade School and Leavenworth High School. She attended Waterbury Hospital School of Nursing and graduated as a Registered Nurse in 1946. She worked as an RN in Hartford and New Haven, CT and Butler Hospital in Providence, RI. She moved to Denver, CO to work as a Pediatric Nurse at Children’s Hospital and later moved to Greeley Hospital to work in Pediatrics. She met and married Shelby Edwards in Greeley, CO while he was working on his Masters Degree in Education at the University of Northern Colorado. The couple moved to Scottsbluff in 1950 when he accepted a teaching position at the high school. Ethel worked at the Methodist Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital and was employed for 15 years at Regional West Medical Center before retiring in 1985. Her husband Shelby died in 1975 while employed at Western Nebraska Community College. Ethel was a member of St. Francis Episcopal Church, St. Francis Altar Guild, Church Women United, Cooperative Ministry, served on the board of the Panhandle Retreat Center and the Youth Committee at Panhandle Mental Health Center. She belonged to many nurse’s organizations including retired groups and Waterbury Hospital Alumnae Association. She derived much pleasure in visiting the sick and home bound and could never fully give up her nursing service. Her family, her pride and joy, filled a great part of her life including her grandchildren David and Susan. Music and travel were very important as she enjoyed trips to Central City, CO for the operas each summer, dinner theater in Fort Collins and concerts by the Rocky Mountain Chamber Singers in which daughter Julie sings. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law: Shelby “Jim” and Ethel A. Edwards of Topeka, KS, and daughters and sons-in-law: Linda and Vance Stott of Scottsbluff and Julie and James Spencer of Ft. Collins, CO; grandchildren: David and Annie Stott of Kearney, NE and Susan Stott of Scottsbluff. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, 2 brothers and 4 sisters.