Freestone County, Texas Obituaries Fairfield Recorder December 03, 2007 Robert J. Edwards Robert J. Edwards of Camden, Delaware, died at home Wed., Nov. 14. He was 78. Mr. Edwards was born Jan. 25, 1929 in Teague, the youngest of 10 children born to Oscar and Emma Park Edwards, both deceased. He was 10 months old when his mother died, and was loved and cared for by the older children and relatives and family friends. As a young boy, Mr. Edwards was interested in airplanes. He built large model planes of balsa wood and tissue paper, and hung them from the ceiling of his father’s home. As soon as he was old enough, he followed the example of his four older brothers and joined the military. At the age of 17, and as a Corporal, Mr. Edwards served with the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II and then with the U.S. Air Force during Korea and Vietnam. He retired in the grade of E9 as a Chief Master Sergeant after 23 years. He subsequently worked as a civilian employee of the Air Force as an Air Terminal Manager at both Anderson AFB, Guam and Dover Air Force Base, retiring in 1985. While at Dover’s Aerial Port, he coined the term “Superport”, that was entered in the Military Airlift Command’s lexicon. Mr. Edwards was a member of many fraternal organizations including the Camden Veterans of Foreign Wars, Friendship American Legion in Friendship, NY, the Disabled American Veterans (serving as a 1-time commander of the Dover chapter and as the senior vice commander for the state), the Air Force Association, the Tanker/Airlift Association, Sons of the Republic of Texas, the Military Order of the Cooties, the Smithsonian, the AMC Museum and the Dover AFB Officers’ Club. Mr. Edwards was always interested in his family and friends in Teague. He faithfully attended the Teague Homecoming after he retired and located permanently in the states. A voracious reader, Mr. Edwards also enjoyed traveling, especially on cruise ships, tinkering with his computer and the camaraderie of his many peers at the Camden VFW Post and the Friendship American Legion Post. He received many awards and recognition by his co-workers, to whom he was most grateful. Mr. Edwards was preceded in death by his nine brothers and sisters, Ervin L., Jack W., W.T., John Earl, Sammy R., Bernice Cavanaugh, Evelyn Estes, Willie Ivy and Doris Threadgill. He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Barbara Wilbur Edwards. Although he never had children of his own, Mr. Edwards earned the love and respect of his three stepchildren, Jeannie George and her fiancé Paul Lande of Camden, Marsha Custer of Dover, and MJ and Susan Brent of Oakhurst, Cal. He had seven step grandchildren, Monica Lucas and husband Eric, Jessica Hodges and husband Jermaine, Lindsay, Ashley and Maddie Brent and Michael and Cody Custer, and four step greatgrandchildren, Madison and Meaghan Lucas and Kayla and Keira Hodges. In addition, there are numerous nieces and nephews throughout Texas and Tennessee who affectionately call him Uncle Bobby or Bobby Joe. In this area, he is survived by nieces and nephews Maedell Alley, Rita McAlpine, Steve Edwards, John Edwards, Margaret Tolar and Emma Jean Vande Streek. Funeral services will full military honors were held Nov. 19 at Torbert Funeral Chapel in Dover. Interment was Nov. 25 at Greenwood Cemetery in Teague, again with full military honors. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the BRI Railroad Museum in Teague.