Retired U.S. Army Col. Thomas Bancroft Edwards, 84, of Hagerstown, Md., went to his eternal heavenly
home on Dec. 26, 2024, after a life full of blessings. Tommy (now Tom) was born on
Dec. 28, 1939, in his home in Ayden, N.C., and was the third of four sons born to Hal
Lamar Edwards, Sr., and Renno McLawhorn Edwards. He is preceded in death by his
parents and three brothers (Hal Jr., Kemp, and William). He is survived by his wife of 62
years, Jane Rachel Williams Edwards, four children, (Mark, John, Sharon, and Virginia),
and five grandchildren (Angelica, Samuel, Grant, Norman, and Raymond Joseph
“Joey”).
Tom’s many blessings began with the positive role models provided by his parents and
immediate family, his public school teachers, church experiences, athletic coaches, and
the local Ayden community. His blessings continued with a football scholarship to The
Citadel (class of 1962), where he was a proud member of the school’s first conference
championship football team and the victorious 1960 team that defeated Tennessee Tech
in the Tangerine Bowl.
He graduated with honors and a B.S. in education and received a commission in the
Regular Army. During his career of over 28 years, he graduated from the Army Airborne
School at Fort Benning, Ga., and the Army Air Assault School at Fort Campbell, Ky. His
duties included overseas tours in Hawaii, South Korea, Vietnam, and Germany. His
assignments included the VII Corps Deputy Adjutant General in Germany, the Adjutant
General of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Ky., and the
commander of the U.S. Army Garrison at Fort Ritchie, Md.
Perhaps Tom’s greatest blessing was the coincidental meeting and subsequent
marriage to Jane. His most unusual and unexpected blessing was a heart transplant on
July 30, 2006, after only five days on the transplant list.
He particularly enjoyed teaching an adult Sunday school class at Bethel United
Methodist Church. His hobbies included singing bass in the church choir and local
barbershop chorus, playing golf which he wished he had started earlier than he did at
the age of 65, and watching sports. He was inspired as a youth by the lives and
achievements of Roy Campanella and Jackie Robinson, who both played for the
Brooklyn Dodgers and were instrumental in the desegregation of Major League
Baseball. Tom remained a Dodger fan after they moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
A memorial service for the family will be held this spring in the Edwards family plot in the
Ayden Town Cemetery.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Douglas A. Fiery Funeral Home 1331 Eastern Blvd. North, Hagerstown, MD.