Louise Edwards' Obituary
LOUISE M. (Maw-Maw) BRANDON EDWARDS. On March 15, 2011, Louise ended her earthly journey and Heaven’s gates swung open wide to receive this precious saint to begin her eternal life with her Savior, Jesus Christ. Born the second of six children and first daughter to Mary Susan and Franklin Reuben Morgan in rural Walker County, AL, at 95, she survived her five siblings. Mrs. Edwards excelled as a seamstress, cook and gardener; she made clothes by hand before acquiring a sewing machine, began cooking full meals at the age of five on a wood burning stove and had a garden that rivaled the best. Her greatest accomplishments were being an devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great grandmother and mosf of all, a devout Christian woman. Growing up on a farm, she manned a mule drawn plow, planted, weeded, chopped and picked cotton – and could out pick her two brothers. As a teenager, Louise asked that her parents allow her to come to Memphis and stay with family friends while she looked for a city job. When she arrived, she discovered that Pat Brandon who had come to her house to play baseball with her brothers was also staying with the same family. He offered to give her a tour of Memphis and when it concluded on the river bluff, he asked her to marry him. She said yes, but made him return to Alabama to ask for permission from her parents. They were married until his death 47 and a half years later and raised their three children here. Not only did Louise have a large vegetable garden but canned the excess of her harvest so the family enjoyed the fruits of her labor year round in addition to making various jams and jellies. She never shirked hard work and laundered her family’s clothes by washing them on a rub board before getting a wringer washer. Despite hard times, her husband and children always had three meals a day even if there was little or no meat on the table. Her yard boasted a variety of flowers and rose bushes including a trellis of morning glories behind the front porch swing. In l988 at the age of 83, Louise was featured on the front page of the Home and Garden section of The Commercial Appeal. She planted several items that appeared to be nothing more than dead sticks that grew into tall trees. It was said that when it came to gardening, she had two green thumbs and eight green fingers. There was a vacant lot next door to her house and Louise utilized that space for a second garden in order to ensure her family’s provisions were adequate for the winter months. Although she worked diligently in her home and gardens, she drew her first paycheck when she went to work at Schering-Plough on the production line at age 52 following her husband’s heart attack. She was one the first to volunteer for double-shifts, week-end work and to fill the demand for a seven day work week during peak seasons. Louise always made quota and arrived early for her shift in order to ride the stationary bike in the gym before clocking in. A firm believer in keeping fit, she continued to walk and exercise until shortly before her death. Her love for her Lord was evident in the way she lived her life and she truly lived according to what she believed in her heart. She made her profession of faith in Jesus and was baptized in March 1937. Louise taught Sunday School at Merton Avenue Baptist Church where she maintained her membership for 74 years until her death. There she participated in various activities that included being one of the cooks for the Wednesday evening dinners, contributing turkey and dressing for the free Thanksgiving meal for the Binghampton neighborhood, working in the nursery or singing in the choir and being an active member in the Women’s Missionary Union. When there was a death in a friend’s or church member’s family Louise was always one of the first to cook and deliver a casserole or dessert. Because of her genuine love for them, children naturally gravitated to Louise. At any family gathering, she would seek out the children and engage them in singing or playing games, getting down on the floor with them even in her advanced years. Her family could always count on her for a ride if your car had a dead battery, to pick up the little ones from school or take them for a doctor’s visit among other forms of assistance, and she never let you leave without a hug and kiss – and an “I love you.” Those same words concluded her phone conversations and the person on the other end of the line knew she meant them. At the age of 89, she still prepared the entire Christmas dinner for her family of approximately 20 people, and the food was as usual – plentiful and excellent. Louise began cooking pies and cakes in mid-November and freezing them for the December meal. She was perhaps best known for her unparalleled cornbread dressing, chocolate frosting, and made-from-scratch coconut cakes and banana pudding. Eight years after Mr. Brandon’s death, Louise was introduced to Joseph (Papa Joe) Edwards by a mutual friend in April 1987; they were married that July and enjoyed 17 years together until his death in 2004. Mrs. Edwards’s older son, Van A. Brandon preceded her in death. She is survived by her daughter Patricia B. Tucker (husband Kenneth), son, John F. Brandon, both of Memphis, TN, and Van’s widow Margaret Brandon of Senatobia, MS as well as six grandchildren: Kenneth Wayne Brandon (wife Nelda), Gary A. Brandon (wife Catherine), Donna Tyson (husband Tim) Kenneth E. Tucker (wife Becki), Karen T. Montgomery (husband Regis), Craig Brandon (wife Cindy) and step-grandchildren Holly and Josh Tyson. In addition she leaves six great-grandchildren, Dustin Tucker, Amber Belenchia, Breahn Wilson, Kaylenn Mongtomery, Jordan and Joshua Tyson, Mary Brandon and Beth Fite, and six great-great grandchildren, Kallie, Tucker, Keaton, Dalton, Zachery and Andrew. She also leaves many nieces and nephews and her dear friend and travel companion, Theo Smith. On Tuesday, March 15th, heaven’s gain was truly the world’s loss. This planet is the better for her having been here and the mark she left will be felt by family and friends for decades to come. No one can fill the void she left and Maw-Maw will be missed until we are reunited in Heaven. Visitation for Mrs. Edwards is scheduled for Friday, March 18th from 5:00 until 8:00 P.M. with a celebration of her life to take place Saturday at 11:30 A.M. at Memorial Park Funeral Home with burial to follow in Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorials can be made in her honor to the Alzheimer’s Association or Merton Avenue Baptist Church.
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