Page 2 - Helen Edwards Memorial Service
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n April 26, 1920 Helen Blondell Brown was born to Reverend Henry D.
                The Reverend Nichole L. Edness, Officiating                          Brown and Alice Logan Brown in Colleton County, South Carolina. She was
                                                                                     the second child born to this union, the first Emma Jane, died in

     Prayer.……………………... Reverend Nichole L. Edness                                   infancy.  Helen’s father was a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal
                                                                                     Church.  Her mother was a homemaker.  Her siblings who all preceded her
                                                                                     in death were:  Euralee, Merelyn, Douglas, Beatrice, Moses and Hattie
                                                                                     Mae.  Early in Helen’s life the family moved to Walterboro, SC, a small town
     Scripture Readings:                                                             about 40 miles from Charleston.  Having a minister as a father meant that

                    Ecclesiastes 3:1-8……….... Marley V. Prince                       church life was an important part of Helen’s upbringing.  Helen graduated
                                                                                     from Colleton County Training School, later Walterboro High School, where
                    Psalm 100 ……………….Vivienne I. Prince                              she played basketball, a sport she would also play in college, despite her

                                                                                     small stature.

     Acknowledgments and Resolutions….......Lisa M. Prince                                 fter graduating from high school Helen attended Allen University in
                                                                                     Columbia, SC.  It was there that she met Edmund R. Edwards of
                                                                                     Washington, North Carolina.  Helen loved to tell the story of how on her
     Obituary Reading.........................Sharon Brown Harriott                  very first day on campus she met one of the star football players.  He pulled
                                                                                     the chair out for her in the dining room during the dinner meal and she
                                                                                     took one look at him and said to herself “that’s my future husband”.  She

     Remarks/ Reflections     (Limit 2 minutes please)                               was right!  Helen graduated from Allen in 1942 with a BA in Early Childhood
                                                                                     Education.

     Family Tribute.............................................Lisa M. Prince             elen and Edmund eloped and were joined in holy matrimony on Ju
                                                                                     ly 8, 1942 in New York City, where they would make their home and life
                                                                                     together for the next sixty-three years.  It was a strong and joyful
     Selection………………… “His Eye is On The Sparrow”                                    union.  The next year in 1943 Edmund was drafted and went to Europe to
                                                                                     fight in World War II.  Helen did her part for the war effort by working at
                                                                                     the Brooklyn Navy Yard where she made small fittings for ships and
                                                                                     airplanes.  When her husband returned from the war they were soon
     Eulogy…………………. Reverend Nelson B. Rivers, III                                   blessed with two children, Janis Yvonne and Edmund Bruce.

                                                                                             he family moved from Brooklyn to Jamaica, Queens in the early 1950’s
     Candle Lighting Ceremony                                                        and purchased a house on Long Street.  She relished her role as a wife and
                              Janis E. Marley and E. Bruce Edwards                   mother and homemaker.  She was enthusiastic about supporting every
                                                                                     school event and extracurricular activity that her children were involved
                                                                                     in.  Every Sunday dinner was a formal affair.  We ate in the dining room and
                                                                                     enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by Mom.  The table was set with a
     Benediction……………......Reverend Nichole L. Edness                                tablecloth, linen napkins, china, crystal and sterling silver flatware.  Of

                                                                                     course, we were all dressed in our Sunday best.   Helen soon joined Allen
                                                                                     A.M.E. Church when it was a small church with no more than a few
                                                                                     hundred members and now is The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New
                                                                                     York with over 23,000 members.
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