William Edwards

1939 - 2020

William Edwards
William "Bill" Edwards, 80, passed away Sunday, July 26, 2020, in Fort Smith. He was born Aug. 6, 1939, in Chicago to William Henry Edwards and Josephine Rose Marie Giordano Edwards.
He graduated from Illinois Valley Community College in 1961 and Milwaukee School of Engineering in 1963. He majored in computer technology. Bill married Gayle Laatsch in November of 1963 and began his career working for Johnson Controls in South Bend, Ind. In 1970, he transferred to the Johnson Controls facility in Poteau, where he remained for the rest of his career. He retired in 2002, after 39 years at Johnson Controls.
He enjoyed retirement by traveling the world with his wife, Gayle. His other hobbies included sailing, restoring cars, working on clocks and snow skiing.
Bill was a longtime member of St. Luke's Lutheran Church, where he was very active and served in many roles including church council president. He was in the Rotary, served on Gov. Bellman's Commission on Jobs for Oklahoma's Future and served as the director of Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence. He was appointed by Gov. Keating to the Oklahoma Workforce Investment Board and was on the board of Poteau Chamber of Commerce, where he served as president. He served as chairman of the Local Area Manufacturing Council, on the executive board of Poteau Area Economic Expansion Foundation and as chairman of the executive committee of the Manufacturer's Council of the Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Recently, Bill was on the board at Methodist Village.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Gayle.
Bill is survived by a daughter, Kristine "Kris" Yancy and husband retired Col. Scott Yancy of Montgomery, Ala.; a son, David Edwards and wife Stacie of Tulsa; and four grandchildren, Caroline Yancy, Andrew Yancy, Camden Edwards and Camille Edwards.
Memorial service for Bill and Gayle will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home.