Individual Details
Leo EDWARDS
(May 3, 1916 - November 15, 2022)
VINCENT, Ohio — It may not have been the weather she wanted, but a Vincent resident reaching a milestone birthday didn’t let the clouds or COVID-19 get her down.
Leo Edwards, has seen both 1920 and 2020 — she celebrated her 104th birthday with a special parade organized by her family.
“It’s awesome. I don’t think I deserve all of this,” she said about her event.
She was born to Oliver E. Edwards and Moxie Lawson-Edwards on May 3, 1916, in Glenville, the first of 11 children. She has lived through two World Wars, the Great Depression, Prohibition, seen women gain the right to vote and saw both television and the Internet be born.
While her family threw her a big party for her 100th birthday, they weren’t going to let the Coronavirus stop them from celebrating this milestone.
“I have been seeing other people doing the parades,” said great-granddaughter Carrie Curry. She said the 100th birthday party was a good time for Edwards, but she told her family it wore her out and she didn’t want them to go to all the trouble like that over again. “I thought this would be a great way for everyone to wish her ‘Happy Birthday’ without her feeling obligated to get up and greet each person.”
The family invited 70 friends and family members to attend the parade, with at least 50 decorated cars all lined up to wave, drop off flowers, balloons and cards as well as wish her a happy birthday in person, albeit from a distance.
“I knew I had a lot of friends and family, it’s nice to see them all,” Edwards said at her parade. “I wonder what the neighbors down the road think of all this?”
Curry said her great-grandmother had a hard time staying seated. “She’s still lively at 104. A lot of people are intrigued by her and love to see her, it is just as much a pleasure for the guests as it is for her. She’s our treasure and we are blessed to be able to share her with others.”
“Back all those years ago, we didn’t have big parties like this,” Edwards said.
Curry asked her great-grandmother what she thought about the current COVID crisis. “My Mamaw can be very opinionated and she is still very sharp of mind. She doesn’t hold much hope for our current president or his administration. The news scares her, but she still watches it faithfully. Honestly, she’s trying to not be too worried about catching the virus, because she says that she has lived a long and happy life, so when it’s her time to go, it will be her time to go.” Curry said the family is still being very cautious around her though. “Her and I talk a lot about the way things used to be and my family has a small farm and large garden. She believes that has always been an important way of life and she believes this COVID situation may be God’s way of telling us to get back to our roots and start raising farms and gardens again.”
Edwards was born to a long line of farmers, and has said her parents were too busy farming in order to earn a living to talk about world events or politics. Being the oldest, she had to help take care of her siblings and often joked it was a rare occurrence to see her without a baby on each hip. Some of her favorite childhood games were Hide and Seek or Ante-Over.
She attended a one-room schoolhouse in Gilmer County and was a 1935 graduate of Sand Fork High School.
She remembers using ration books for everyday items like sugar, butter, oil and shoes during the Great Depression, though her family was able to supplement their rations with meat and produce from their farm and gardens.
Edwards worked as a young adult in order to pay for her room and board while attending school. She met her first husband, Brooks Furr, while working in his family-owned restaurant, The Hotel Conrad. The couple married December 1936, and owned their own restaurant, The Log Cabin, and they had one daughter in March 1938.
Curry said her great-grandma is proud of the fact that she was never unemployed. Edwards worked in retail sales at the A&P Store during WWII, was a manager for Rexall Drug Store and worked at Kauffman & Lattimer Co. in Parkersburg, moving the family to this “more urban setting.”
Edwards married her second husband, Ernest Jones, in January 1962. The couple lived in Belpre, and retired to Dade City, Fla., where they lived out his final years by traveling, square dancing and visiting with children and grandchildren. In the late 1980s, she moved back to the Mid-Ohio Valley area to Vincent, to live near her daughter and son-in-law, Jim and Ina Brookover.
She has been an active member of Belpre Congregational Church for more than 50 years, belonged to the Order of the Eastern Star for 25 years, worked for Belpre Area Ministries for many years and was an avid bowler for more than 25 years, giving up the sport at the age of 97.
She has two grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
Edwards told one of her well-wishers she’ll see them a year from now at her 105th birthday.
Leo Edwards, has seen both 1920 and 2020 — she celebrated her 104th birthday with a special parade organized by her family.
“It’s awesome. I don’t think I deserve all of this,” she said about her event.
She was born to Oliver E. Edwards and Moxie Lawson-Edwards on May 3, 1916, in Glenville, the first of 11 children. She has lived through two World Wars, the Great Depression, Prohibition, seen women gain the right to vote and saw both television and the Internet be born.
While her family threw her a big party for her 100th birthday, they weren’t going to let the Coronavirus stop them from celebrating this milestone.
“I have been seeing other people doing the parades,” said great-granddaughter Carrie Curry. She said the 100th birthday party was a good time for Edwards, but she told her family it wore her out and she didn’t want them to go to all the trouble like that over again. “I thought this would be a great way for everyone to wish her ‘Happy Birthday’ without her feeling obligated to get up and greet each person.”
The family invited 70 friends and family members to attend the parade, with at least 50 decorated cars all lined up to wave, drop off flowers, balloons and cards as well as wish her a happy birthday in person, albeit from a distance.
“I knew I had a lot of friends and family, it’s nice to see them all,” Edwards said at her parade. “I wonder what the neighbors down the road think of all this?”
Curry said her great-grandmother had a hard time staying seated. “She’s still lively at 104. A lot of people are intrigued by her and love to see her, it is just as much a pleasure for the guests as it is for her. She’s our treasure and we are blessed to be able to share her with others.”
“Back all those years ago, we didn’t have big parties like this,” Edwards said.
Curry asked her great-grandmother what she thought about the current COVID crisis. “My Mamaw can be very opinionated and she is still very sharp of mind. She doesn’t hold much hope for our current president or his administration. The news scares her, but she still watches it faithfully. Honestly, she’s trying to not be too worried about catching the virus, because she says that she has lived a long and happy life, so when it’s her time to go, it will be her time to go.” Curry said the family is still being very cautious around her though. “Her and I talk a lot about the way things used to be and my family has a small farm and large garden. She believes that has always been an important way of life and she believes this COVID situation may be God’s way of telling us to get back to our roots and start raising farms and gardens again.”
Edwards was born to a long line of farmers, and has said her parents were too busy farming in order to earn a living to talk about world events or politics. Being the oldest, she had to help take care of her siblings and often joked it was a rare occurrence to see her without a baby on each hip. Some of her favorite childhood games were Hide and Seek or Ante-Over.
She attended a one-room schoolhouse in Gilmer County and was a 1935 graduate of Sand Fork High School.
She remembers using ration books for everyday items like sugar, butter, oil and shoes during the Great Depression, though her family was able to supplement their rations with meat and produce from their farm and gardens.
Edwards worked as a young adult in order to pay for her room and board while attending school. She met her first husband, Brooks Furr, while working in his family-owned restaurant, The Hotel Conrad. The couple married December 1936, and owned their own restaurant, The Log Cabin, and they had one daughter in March 1938.
Curry said her great-grandma is proud of the fact that she was never unemployed. Edwards worked in retail sales at the A&P Store during WWII, was a manager for Rexall Drug Store and worked at Kauffman & Lattimer Co. in Parkersburg, moving the family to this “more urban setting.”
Edwards married her second husband, Ernest Jones, in January 1962. The couple lived in Belpre, and retired to Dade City, Fla., where they lived out his final years by traveling, square dancing and visiting with children and grandchildren. In the late 1980s, she moved back to the Mid-Ohio Valley area to Vincent, to live near her daughter and son-in-law, Jim and Ina Brookover.
She has been an active member of Belpre Congregational Church for more than 50 years, belonged to the Order of the Eastern Star for 25 years, worked for Belpre Area Ministries for many years and was an avid bowler for more than 25 years, giving up the sport at the age of 97.
She has two grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
Edwards told one of her well-wishers she’ll see them a year from now at her 105th birthday.
Events
| Birth | May 3, 1916 | Hardman, Gilmer County, WV |  | ||
| Marriage | December 10, 1936 | Gilmer County, WV - William Brooks FURR | | ||
| Occupation | 1950 | drug store clerk - Glenville, Gilmer County, WV | |||
| Death | November 15, 2022 | Vincent, Washington County, OH |  | | |
| Burial | Rockland Cemetery, Belpre, Washington County, OH | |
Families
| Spouse | William Brooks FURR (1909 - 1996) |
| Child | Ina Gae FURR (1938 - 2024) |
| Father | Oliver E. EDWARDS ( - ) |
| Mother | Moxie LAWSON ( - ) |
Notes
Death
Leo F. Jones, 106, of Vincent, Ohio died at her residence surrounded by her family on Nov. 15, 2022. She was born in Glenville, WV, on May 3, 1916, and was the daughter of the late Oliver E. and Ina Moxie Lawson Edwards. She had been a member of the Belpre Congregational Church for over 50 years where she had been a deaconist, trustee and part of the women’s fellowship group. She was an avid bowler, enjoyed reading, crafts, going to church and volunteering for “BAM” Belpre Area Ministries. She had been a member of the Belpre Order of Eastern Stars, #541 for over 25 years. She had worked for Kaufman-Lauderman as receptionist and order taker. Survivors include her daughter, Ina (James R.) Brookover of Vincent, Ohio, stepson, Carl L. (Sabrina) Jones of Parkersburg, WV, stepdaughter, Sandra Fuller of Belpre, Ohio, stepson, David (Esther) Jones N.C., grandchildren, Mandy Rogers, Bub Brookover, great grandchildren, Amy Rogers, Carrie (Chris) Curry, Chris Brookover, great great grandchildren, Regan Curry, Andre Curry, Devin Curry, Cole Brookover and several nieces and nephews. Also surviving are five sisters, Anna Ruth Montgomery of Glenville, WV, Betty Jo Turner of Wellington, Ohio, Elma Reed of Glenville, WV, Pauline Egli of Meadsville, PA, and Alice Virginia of Burnsville, WV. She was preceded in death by her parents, her first husband, Brooks Furr, her second husband, Ernest F. Jones, Stepdaughter, Dora Thurston, three brothers, Hayward Edwards, Oliver Lawson Edwards, Laco Edwards, two sisters, Fora Bell Putnam and Pearl Workman. Services will be on Monday at 1 p.m. at the Leavitt Funeral Home, Belpre. Burial will be in the Rockland Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. with Eastern Star Services conducted by Belpre Order of Eastern Star, #541 at 4:45 p.m. The family would like to thank Leo’s sister Pauline Egli for the time she came and stayed with her, to the staff of the Marietta Hospice for their care and to her good friends Sharon and Cathy for coming and helping when the family couldn’t be there.The Parkersburg News and Sentinel, Parkersburg, West Virginia, November 19, 2022
Endnotes
1. "West Virginia Births and Christenings, 1853-1928." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 19 March 2020.
2. West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970. Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 September 2020.
3. The Parkersburg News and Sentinel, Parkersburg, West Virginia, November 19, 2022.
4. findagrave.com.