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Robert Gerald
"Bob" Edwards was born on May 20, 1935, in Van Buren, Arkansas, to Rhuel
Teal and Blake Marie (Hickey) Edwards. He grew up one of 11 siblings in an
area near the Arkansas River known as "Yost Town."
A memorial service and celebration of Bob’s life will
be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011, at First United Methodist Church
in Dardanelle, AR. A reception will be held in the Life Center following the
service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First United Methodist
Church, P.O. Box 188, Dardanelle, AR 72834.
Bob was an R.O.T.C. member when he graduated from Van
Buren High School in 1953. Following graduation, he moved to California
where he was assigned to the Ready Reserves and later drafted into the
United States Army, serving two years of active duty and earning the Medal
of Good Conduct. He was honorably discharged as a Specialist Fourth Class
from Fort Jackson, S. C., on March 3, 1960.
He married Alma Virginia McKinney on Feb. 3, 1962, in
Las Vegas, Nevada. The family grew to include children Cleon Nolan, Jeanne
Renee and Lori Michelle Edwards.
Following a lead from his uncle, Bob moved from
California and began operating a SunRay DX station in Fort Smith in 1962. He
was later hired independently as a jobber dealing with other SunRay dealers.
This was just the beginning of his dedicated career which moved the family
first from California, then to Fort Smith and later to North Little Rock in
1965.
Bob opened the first Freeway Service Station in
Arkansas, located in Fort Smith, followed by stations in Clarksville,
Arkadelphia and Malvern. He led in the opening of the first diesel Freeway
station built in Russellville in 1965 and developed stations in Memphis and
Batesville. He was involved in the purchase of stations in Tennessee and
Alabama and traveled extensively throughout the South-east region for more
than three decades.
Bob served two terms as the Arkansas Petroleum Council
representative to the Regulated Storage Tank Advisory Committee from 1989 to
1997.
Before his retirement in 1998, Bob spent 36 years
within various companies, serving as division, area and district managers
with SunRay DX, South Central Oil Company, Premier Petroleum-Freeway,
Mapco/Delta Express, and then lastly, with The Williams Companies as they
purchased the company just prior to
his retirement.
Bob often
said that during the many company transitions he always remained employed
with each new company – "He had been purchased many times but had never been
sold."
Though Bob and Virginia spent many years living and
working in North Little Rock, they were drawn to the Arkansas River Valley
in the early 1970s, enjoying weekends fishing and skiing with the children
at their lake house on Round Mountain in London. Following Bob’s retirement,
he and Virginia moved into their dream home on Bay Ridge Road in Dardanelle.
Since that time, the couple has been active members of First United
Methodist Church where Bob served on the Pastoral Parish Relations, Finance
and Building committees. Together they earned Master Gardner’s
Certification, completing projects at the Arkansas River Valley Regional
Library, Yell County Courthouse, Dardanelle Post Office and First United
Methodist Church. The couple delivered Meals on Wheels, and was active
members of TAKAHIK River Valley Hikers.
Bob’s hobbies included fishing and skiing beautiful
Greer’s Ferry Lake and Lake Dardanelle, and golfing with his "Over the Hill
Gang" buddies. Bob delighted in spending time with his family and being
out-of-doors, riding his tractor or tinkering in his shop on the couple’s
property in Dardanelle.
Bob is survived by his wife of 49 years, Virginia, of
Dardanelle; a son, Nolan Edwards, and wife Dianne of Russellville; a
daughter, Renee Bennett of Benton, and a daughter, Lori McCauley and husband
David of North Little Rock. Also surviving are his grandchildren, Eric
Bennett of Jacksonville, Laura Melton and husband Daniel of Cabot, Stephanie
Lane and husband Jesse of Springdale, Melissa Edwards of Fort Smith, and
Blake and Alexis McCauley of North Little Rock; and great-grandchildren
Kindsay Bennett and Eric Bennett Jr.
Bob is also survived by his sisters Wanda Jones of
Glendale, Ariz., Anita Wilson and husband William of Sherwood; Carol Allen
of Preston, Connecticut, and Sally Kinkley of Worthington, Ohio. He is also
survived by his sister-in-laws, Thelma Edwards of Roland, Okla.; Delores
Edwards of Texas, Joann Edwards of Ohio and Reda Edwards of Roland.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Willis, Dean, Danny
and Randy, and his sisters, Patsy and Alice.
Pallbearers include the "Over the Hill" Gang Golf
Buddies: Vernon Arnold, Dr. David Bachman, Bill Clark, Jim Daly and Dr. Gene
B. Ring. Honorary pallbearers are Bobby Balloun and Glyndal Roberts.
The family would like to express special thanks to
their close friends and extended family, as well as the caring associates of
Arkansas Department of Health Hospice and Yell County Home Health whose
diligent care allowed Bob to remain in their home until the time of his
passing on Christmas Eve. He was 76.
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