William (Bill) Albert Edwards, of Raleigh, NC entered Heaven on November 6, 2022. Bill’s life was shaped by devotion to his family and service to others exemplified through his pursuits of higher education, banking and community volunteerism.
Born on May 5, 1942, in Schenectady, NY to William Henry and Margaret Laura (Becker) Edwards (both deceased). Bill spent his youth fostering a love of basketball, model trains and education, graduating from Mount Pleasant High School in 1960 and earning an AS in Business Administration from Hudson Valley Community College.
In 1964, Bill and Darlene met at First Wesleyan Church in Schenectady, NY where Darlene’s father served as the lead pastor. Bill quickly became a family friend and soon thereafter Bill and Darlene began a lifelong friendship marrying on June 24, 1967.
In 1977, after completing his BS in Economics and management from Russell Sage College, Bill transitioned from the banking industry to higher education when he left Marine Midland Bank and started a career at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. This began a lifelong commitment to higher education which ultimately led Bill to complete an MBA from Oklahoma Central State University and join Sterling College in 1984 serving as their Vice President of Finance until 1998. After his tenure at Sterling College, Bill re-entered the banking industry through his positions with Alden State Bank as Vice President & Board Member from 1998 to 2001 and then as a Vice President & Investment Officer for First Bank from 2001 to 2020 both located in Sterling, KS his hometown of over 35 years.
Throughout his life, Bill and Darlene have consistently found ways to support their family members and friends to pursue higher education by providing a place to live, family dinners and emotional support during their pursuits. Establishing a firm foundation for future Christian leaders quickly became their passion.
Bill was a dedicated husband, father, grandfather and leader serving as a board member of Rice County Hospital for more than 27 years and The First Church of the Nazarene in Hutchinson, Kansas for more than 20 years.
Bill is survived by his wife of 55 years Darlene Edwards (McCallum), and his children Dawn Edwards of Bothell, WA; Bill Edwards and wife Faye Premer and their sons Wilson Edwards and George Edwards of Brooklyn, NY; Donna Shah and husband Aalok Shah and their children Kai Shah and Kayla Shah of Raleigh, NC. Bill is also survived by his two siblings Harold Edwards and wife Angela of Schenectady, NY; Helen Tosch of Raleigh, NC; his nephew Jason Tosch, wife Gina and their son Ben of Stony Point, NY; cousin Mary Terpening of Tuscon, AZ and a host of other family and friends.
Viewing will be at Hutchinson Funeral Chapel (Hutchinson) on Friday, November 11 from 5:00pm-7:00pm. The memorial service will be held Saturday, November 12 at 10:30am at the Hutchinson Funeral Chapel with Pastor Kendall Franklin officiating. Committal will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery, Hutchinson.