Judge Earl Henry Edwards; Avoyelles Parish, La.
Submitted by Edie McKinney Talley



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From The Marksville Weekly News and Cottonport Leader, Vol 155 No. 40,
Thursday, May 21, 1998, page 1, columns 6 & 7.

Services set for Judge Earl Edwards

Former District Judge Earl Henry Edwards of Marksville, 90, died Sunday,
May 17 at St. Francis Cabrini Hosital in Alexandria.  A prominent citizen
of Marksville and one of the most distinguished men of Avoyelles Parish,
Judge Edwards was named Avoyellean of the Year in 1977 for his outstanding
contributions to the parish.

Funeral services were scheduled to be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 21,
in St. Joseph Catholic Church with Rev. Jim Ferguson officiating.  Burial
is to be in St. Joseph Mausoleum under the direction of Hixson Brothers 
Funeral Home of Marksville.

Judge Edwards, born Dec. 1, 1907 to Flavius Clinton Edwards and Corinne
Marie Normand, was a hard worker.  A graduate of Marksville High, he 
worked his way through college by milking cows at the LSU dairy barn.  He
earned his law degree and began practicing law in partnership with C. E.
Laborde Jr. in the Laborde Building that faces the Courthouse Square.

After a stint as District Attorney from 1941 to 1948, Edwards was District
Judge in Avoyelles for 18 years, from 1960 to 1978.  The caseload was
heavy but he managed it alone, many times putting in extra hours at the
Courthouse studying the many cases before him.

Even after he retired, he was in demand as a speaker and volunteer.  He 
was a principal leader behind the boy scout movement in Avoyelles Parish.
Among his awards were BSA Silver Beaver for 35 years of service; St. George
Distinguished Service Award; La. Farm Bureau Freedom Award; and King of 
La Fete Cent Soixante-Dix de la Ville de Marksville in 1979.

He was a member of the American Bar Association, Avoyelles Bar Association,
Committee for Law Reform, (La. State Bar Assoc.), St. Joseph new Cemetery
Committee, past president of La. District Judges Association, lecturer for
pre-Cana groups, and 4th degree Knight of Columbus.

Judge Earl Edwards will be sorely missed by many.

He is survived by his wife, Doris Smith Edwards of Marksville; three
daughters, Francis Davis of Atlanta, Ga., Edith Prejean of Richardson, 
Texas, and Ruth Moroney of Vail, Co.; one brother, Ben Edwards of 
Marksville; two sisters, Ola Roy and Lilly Chatelain, both of Marksville;
and six grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Boy Scouts of America,
Attakapas Council, 1545 Jackson St., Alexandria, La. 71301.