Dr. Morton T. Edwards Sr.

Dr. Morton T. Edwards, Sr.

Greenville

Dr. Morton T. Edwards, Sr. passed away Saturday, July 13, 2013.

Born in Whitesville, Kentucky, he was a son of the late O. M. and Bertie Hieronymus Edwards.

He attended the College of Charleston and then graduated from the University of Louisville Dental School in 1944. He served in the U.S. Army Dental Corps for two and one half years in the Pacific Theatre during WWII. He was a 1st Lieutenant in the 33rd Infantry Division as a Dental Officer during the Philippine Campaign with General McArthur's forces and afterwards as a Captain in the Dental Corps of the 25th Infantry Division during the occupation of Japan immediately after the Japanese surrendered. He received the Army Commendation Award for organizing a dental prosthetic laboratory in Japan.

1n 1947, he established his dental practice in Greenville. He was a lifelong member of the American Dental Association and the South Carolina Dental Association. From 1967-1971, he served on the South Carolina Board of Dental Examiners. He retired from active dental practice in 1994. In 2012 he received the South Carolina Dental Association Presidential Citation for his dedication and support for dentistry.

Dr. Edwards was a member of numerous professional associations and boards. He additionally served on the YMCA Metropolitan Board.

He was a member of Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church where he served as an Elder, Sunday School teacher and member of the Building Committee. In 1999, he was elected an Elder Emeritus by the session of his church.

His life could be succinctly described as a man devoted to the care of his dental patients and one who loved his family and his church. He often expressed his faith in Christ and his gratitude for God's grace in his life and that of his family.

He is survived by his loving family, his wife of 69 years, Nell Kathryn Miller Edwards, of the home; his sons and daughter-in-laws, Dr. M. Thomas Edwards, Jr. and Dr. Janet Roberts Edwards of Greenville, Dr. William M. Edwards and Nelson Davis Edwards of Spartanburg, and R. Bruce Edwards, P.A. and Laurel Gabrielse Edwards of Morganton, NC; his daughters and sons-in-law, Jayne Adair Cox and Basil Cox of Pittsburgh, PA, and Susan Edwards Purgason and Edward Purgason of Greensboro, NC; his brother, Governor James B. Edwards and wife, Ann Darlington Edwards of Mt. Pleasant, SC; and his grandchildren, Benjamin Edwards, Parks Edwards, David Edwards, Nancye Edwards, Susan Edwards, Sally Edwards, Willy Edwards, Jr., Emilie Adams, Seth Edwards, Nell Adair Yates, Kathryn Purgason, William Purgason and Mitchell Purgason; and his nieces, nephews and their families. He was predeceased by his sisters, Mrs. Josephine Pinckney, Mrs. Ada Melchers and Mrs. Jane Ann Varn.

Services will be Tuesday, July 16, 2013 at Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church at 2:00pm with the Reverend Andy Lewis officiating. Interment will be private. The family will receive friends Monday evening from 6 to 8:00pm at the mortuary.

The family request memorials be made to Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church, 207 Mitchell Road, Greenville, SC 29615 or to McCall Hospice House, 1836 W. Georgia Road, Simpsonville, SC, 29680.

Online condolences may be sent to mackeymortuary.com The Mackey Mortuary