Mabry Edwards
03-15-2008, 08:55 PM
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Mabry Edwards
Yesterday I attended the funeral of Mabry Edwards. Some of you knew him from the distant past and I have talked of him on Scream & Fly.com/forums..."Life at Lake X in the 60's" posts #41, 43, 45, 46, 83, 84 As well as the Miami-Nassau thread. He died in his sleep on Monday 3/10/08 at the age of 87. I will post his obituary immediately following this post. Mabry was a mentor of mine in both the world of boat racing and aviation. However there were accomplishments of his that even I did not know about. At the funeral, MG Doug Burnett spoke eloquently of Mabry's early days in boat racing. I did not know that Mabry held a number of boat racing records from his early days. As well, he helped to guide many boat racers, fishermen, and pilots onto the right course in life. He was kind of like a human Instrument Landing System (ILS). He was also compassionate and true to old friends. During the time when Mr. Kiekhaefer was nearing the end of life, he was sick and in pain. Mabry took him to a point just off the coast of Saint Augustine where they sat quietly rocking in the gentle swells of the Atlantic. I think Mabry knew that this would be a place of comfort and peace for his long time friend. Even though my brother often called him "Mayberry", Mabry remained a true friend to Bill and they would often consult with each other. In the recent years, I had not seen Mabry, but someone had told me that he went to "work" on his boat on a daily basis. Best Regards - Steve Sirois
03-15-2008, 08:57 PM
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Mabry Edwards Obituary
Retired Brig. Gen. Mabry Edwards
EDWARDS Retired Brig. Gen. Mabry Edwards, 87, of Crescent Beach, FL passed away peacefully on March 10, 2008. He was born August 9, 1920 in Quincy, FL and resided in Jacksonville until his appointment as Assistant Adjutant General for the Florida Air National Guard at its State Headquarters in St. Augustine. As an accomplished mechanical engineer, pilot, boat designer and photographer, his competitive spirit was evidenced by his motto, "luck is when preparation meets opportunity". He was taught to fly by aviation pioneer Laurie Younge, won several outboard hydroplane national and world boat racing championships, received his commercial captain's license from the Merchant Marine at age 22, was a pioneer in NE Florida offshore sports fishing, founded a boat building company and filmed Florida Gator and Gator Bowl football games as a commercial photographer. He designed and built numerous custom sports fishing and offshore race boats, including five class winners in the Bahamas 500 endurance runs. As a boat captain, he and his crew were credited with catching and releasing over 1,100 billfish, including the first blue marlin caught off the First Coast. His military career began as a civilian flight instructor for the Navy. When the U.S. entered WW II, he joined the Army Air Corps. In 1945, he became a member of the initial Florida Air National Guard unit and later served as the 125th Fighter Group's Chief of Maintenance and senior pilot for several of the state's governors. Family members celebrating his life include: June Powell Edwards, his loving wife for 66 years; sons Mabry Edwards, Jr. (Linda) and Lee Edwards; daughter Susan Henderson (Robert); grandchildren Tracy Edwards, Brian Edwards (Christine), Kevin Edwards (Kim), Graham Henderson, Katherine Dickey (Adam), Kimberly Whitfield (Clay), and Andy Edwards; and several great grandchildren. The family will receive friends on Thursday evening from 6 PM until 8 PM at the Craig Funeral Home located at 1475 Old Dixie Highway in St. Augustine. Funeral services will commence at 10 AM on Friday morning in the Chapel at the same location. Internment will follow at St. Augustine Memorial Park, 2600 Old Moultrie Road. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer Association. Please Sign the Guestbook @ Jacksonville.com EDWARDS Please Sign the Guestbook @ Jacksonville.com
EDWARDS Retired Brig. Gen. Mabry Edwards, 87, of Crescent Beach, FL passed away peacefully on March 10, 2008. He was born August 9, 1920 in Quincy, FL and resided in Jacksonville until his appointment as Assistant Adjutant General for the Florida Air National Guard at its State Headquarters in St. Augustine. As an accomplished mechanical engineer, pilot, boat designer and photographer, his competitive spirit was evidenced by his motto, "luck is when preparation meets opportunity". He was taught to fly by aviation pioneer Laurie Younge, won several outboard hydroplane national and world boat racing championships, received his commercial captain's license from the Merchant Marine at age 22, was a pioneer in NE Florida offshore sports fishing, founded a boat building company and filmed Florida Gator and Gator Bowl football games as a commercial photographer. He designed and built numerous custom sports fishing and offshore race boats, including five class winners in the Bahamas 500 endurance runs. As a boat captain, he and his crew were credited with catching and releasing over 1,100 billfish, including the first blue marlin caught off the First Coast. His military career began as a civilian flight instructor for the Navy. When the U.S. entered WW II, he joined the Army Air Corps. In 1945, he became a member of the initial Florida Air National Guard unit and later served as the 125th Fighter Group's Chief of Maintenance and senior pilot for several of the state's governors. Family members celebrating his life include: June Powell Edwards, his loving wife for 66 years; sons Mabry Edwards, Jr. (Linda) and Lee Edwards; daughter Susan Henderson (Robert); grandchildren Tracy Edwards, Brian Edwards (Christine), Kevin Edwards (Kim), Graham Henderson, Katherine Dickey (Adam), Kimberly Whitfield (Clay), and Andy Edwards; and several great grandchildren. The family will receive friends on Thursday evening from 6 PM until 8 PM at the Craig Funeral Home located at 1475 Old Dixie Highway in St. Augustine. Funeral services will commence at 10 AM on Friday morning in the Chapel at the same location. Internment will follow at St. Augustine Memorial Park, 2600 Old Moultrie Road. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer Association. Please Sign the Guestbook @ Jacksonville.com EDWARDS Please Sign the Guestbook @ Jacksonville.com
03-17-2008, 08:09 AM
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Great man. I have mentioned him in some of my posts as the man who received the 28' Magnum molds. His boat company name was Memco. First class boatbuilder and a fine guy.
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03-17-2008, 09:37 AM
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