[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 173 (Tuesday, December 1, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1685]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN HONOR OF MR. CLAYBON J. EDWARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 1, 2015

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
outstanding public servant, respected businessman, and loving husband, 
father, and friend, Mr. Claybon J. Edwards. Sadly, Mr. Edwards passed 
away on Tuesday, November 3, 2015. A funeral service was held on 
Sunday, November 8, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. at the Peach County High School 
Auditorium in Fort Valley, Georgia.
  Often affectionately referred to as ``Clay,'' Mr. Edwards was born in 
Fort Valley to Martin and Julia Edwards. In 1950, Mr. Edwards earned a 
Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Morris Brown 
College in Atlanta, Georgia. Upon graduation, he represented Morris 
Brown College in a Chicago-based Life Insurance Program sponsored by 
Supreme Life Insurance Company. The program was established for 
business administration graduates from Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities (HBCUs). Mr. Edwards then went on to serve our nation 
honorably in the military for two years.
  In 1963, Mr. Edwards joined his father and his brother, A.J., in the 
family business at Edwards Funeral Home. He attended Worsham College of 
Mortuary Science of Chicago and then relocated to Fort Valley, where he 
became a licensed embalmer and funeral director of Georgia.
  Later, Edwards Funeral Home was renamed to C.J. Edwards Funeral Home, 
Inc. and Mr. Edwards became President and CEO. The foundational values 
of the funeral home did not change, however, and it remained very much 
a family business. Mr. Edwards' wife, Mary, their daughter, Denise, and 
son-in-law Anthony, along with Mr. Edwards' sister, Mary Julia, and her 
daughter Karen, are all involved in the operation of the funeral home. 
In addition, Mr. Edwards founded Edwards Insurance Agency to add to the 
business structure.
  Mr. Edwards put as much love into serving his community as he did 
into his businesses. He served numerous organizations, including the 
NAACP, Alpha Phi Alpha and Sigma Pi Phi fraternities, and various 
funeral service trade associations. He was also a Deacon at Trinity 
Baptist Church in Fort Valley, Georgia.
  In 1970, Mr. Edwards became the first African American to be elected 
to serve on the City Council in Fort Valley. He served four terms and 
served as Mayor Pro Tem for two years.
  Claybon Edwards accomplished much in his life but none of this would 
have been possible without the grace of God and the love and support of 
his wife of forty-five years, Mary; daughter, Denise; three 
grandchildren, Sabastian, Samantha, Courtney, and Caitlin; and one 
great-grandchild, Saniya.
  Mr. Speaker, my wife Vivian and I, along with the more than 730,000 
people of the Second Congressional District, salute Claybon J. Edwards 
for his dedicated service to his community. I ask my colleagues in the 
House of Representatives to join us in extending our deepest sympathies 
to his family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time. We 
pray that they will be consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and 
the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks and months ahead.

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