J. D. Edwards passed away Sunday, April 27, 2025, at the age of 93, at his home in Springfield, Missouri.  He was surrounded by his wife, Reta, his two daughters, Diann and Gloria, and family friends at the time of his death.

J. D. was born on Saturday, August 22, 1931, at home in North Campbell Township, Greene County, Missouri, to Herbert and Gladys Barnes Edwards.

J.D. graduated from Marion C. Early High School in Morrisville, Missouri, in 1949.   Following high school, he was united in marriage to Arleta Vilhauer in 1950. They were blessed with two daughters, Diann and Gloria, in the next five years. J.D. worked at various jobs including MFA, Tom's Candy Company, Green Giant Foods in Illinois, sold and picked up repossessed cars for Ben Hopkins Motor Company.  He then joined the Springfield Fire Department where he was an engineer.  He worked there for 20 years and retired from there at the age of 45. On his days off from the fire department, he worked at Midwest Aluminum Doors and Windows installing windows and doors and eventually built houses, duplexes and apartment complexes in the Springfield area. He served on the Planning and Zoning Commission in Springfield and was active in the firefighter's union.

J. D. was joined in marriage to Reta Rae Forgey, on July 24, 1987, at the College Park Baptist Church in Las Vegas, Nevada.

He loved traveling where he visited numerous countries as well as all 50 of the U.S. States, hunting, and boating.  He had a good memory of past events and was an avid storyteller.  Growing up, his daughters remember their dad rebuilding bicycles for children at Christmas, buying gloves, a coat, and hat, for a little boy that waited at their bus stop, helping families in need, and always taking the family on an annual vacation covering much of the United States.

He is survived by his wife, Reta, his daughters Diann Eisman and husband Denny; Gloria Smith and husband Conrad and a stepdaughter Ratava Moyer and her husband, Mark; nine grandchildren, and twelve great grandchildren.  He was an active member of Sac River Cowboy Church at the time of his death.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Herbert and Gladys Edwards, his sisters Vesta and Pauline, three nieces and one nephew.

A Celebration of Life will be on Monday, May 5, 2025 at Klingner-Cope Funeral Home Rivermonte Chapel, 4500 S. Lone Pine Ave. Springfield, MO 65804. Visitation will be from 10:00  to 11:00 A.M. Funeral Service will follow at 11:00 A.M. with Pastor Scotty Killingsworth officiating. Burial will be at Hazelwood Cemetery, Springfield, MO.

Donations may be made to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, www.stjude.org or to the Parkinson's Foundation, www.parkinson.org.