Obituary: Averil Edwards, 90, of Ludington.

Obituary: Averil Edwards, 90, of Ludington.

Averil Georgina Edwards of Ludington, passed away on November 9, 2021 at the age of 90. She was born on July 30, 1931 in Coventry, England. Her family immigrated to the United States when she was 10-years-old by way of the Queen Mary just before their town was leveled by bombs. They lived in several places along the east coast before settling in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Her family’s names can be seen etched in the walls of Ellis Island.  As a young adult she worked at a factory before a taking a position with Sears where she worked until she retired and relocated to Augusta, Georgia.

She was preceded in death by her parents George and Phyllis Mann; her sisters Bernadine Benjamin and Valerie Benham; stepson Clifford Edwards, Jr.; her first husband, Carmine Altieri; and her second husband, Clifford Edwards.

She leaves behind her daughter, Kathleen (Jim) Salazar; stepchildren, Kathryn Geideman, David Edwards, Robert (Jill) Edwards and Sandy (Alonzo) Libby. She was affectionately known to her grandchildren as Mima and is survived by Natisha (Sean) Rivera-Patrick (the favorite), Shanese (Kreg) Young, Jim Salazar, Mario Salazar, John (Michelle) Edwards, Shawn Edwards, Corey (Jennifer) Edwards and Katie Libby; her great-grandchildren, Derrick (Kathy) Williams, Malik Williams, Amari Rivera-Wehner, Ty Wehner, Nia Patrick, Avery Salazar, Aiden Salazar, Kasen Young, Ava Young, Dominic Edwards, CeCe Edwards and Jason Edwards; along with many nieces and nephews.

Averil loved to play Scrabble and often competed with her sister-in-law, Claire. She loved to crochet, enjoyed dancing, fashion, travel and sharing stories with her grandchildren. She was meticulous in outlining the family tree – family was important and she made sure no one was forgotten. Each year you could always rely on receiving a birthday card as she remembered everyone’s birthday. She spoke the truth – even if you didn’t want to hear it. She enjoyed spending time with her family and continued to be the great storyteller. She would even throw in some songs here and there.

She loved a good meal and became accustomed to being served as she got older. In May of 2021 she had to be placed in a nursing home. Her health was declining. Dementia had progressed to where she required 24 hour care. If you were coming to visit you better have a Caramel Frappe in hand otherwise she would act like she didn’t know you (sometimes she wasn’t acting). She was adored by all who met her and became “Mima” to many. She had a slight addiction to teapots (and Mima always had “the tea”) amassing a collection of over 700. Her tea was the best and she would always make a pot when you arrived at her home. She introduced the term “jackass” to her grandchildren at a young age as she would yell it repeatedly as she chased them down with a wooden spoon. It soon became a term of endearment used by all the grandkids with their own children. The wooden spoon evolved over time learning to fly across the room and around corners striking the intended victim with ultra-precision.

She taught us a lot. She never judged (but she did make a lot of faces that may or may not have shown her displeasure). She loved to laugh and had a comment for everything. She loved life. She loved her family and we loved her. We will all do our part in ensuring her legacy lives on. We will continue to share the stories of our family with generations to come and everyone will know of the “Great Mima”.

There will be no services.

Arrangements by Harris Funeral Home, Shelby.