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Legal Community Honors
Edwards
by Howard Roden |
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Montgomery Country’s legal community turned out en masse Friday to honor
the life and recognize the achievements of retired 9th district Court
Judge Fred Edwards. |
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Edwards
died Tuesday at the age of 63 after a lengthy illness. More than 500
people attended the service conducted at the First Baptist Church in
Conroe. |
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After the presentation of the U.S. flag led by
Sheriff Tommy Gage and a judicial procession that included at least 40
robed judges, 410th state district Court Judge Michael Mayes delivered
an eloquent eulogy. |
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“The true essence of a judge is reflected in
the the spirit of their day-to-day rules and how they apply their
decisions,” Mayes said. |
Elizabeth Edwards speaks about fond memories she
has shared with her father, state District Court Judge Fred
Edwards, during his funeral Friday at First Baptist Church of
Conroe. Joseph and Kathryn Edwards stand behind their sister for
support. For 20 years Edwards served Montgomery County as Judge
of the 9th District Court.
With the exception of a few moments of tearful
reflection, Edwards’ three children, son Joseph and daughters Elizabeth
and Kathryn, kept the overall mood a joyous one. |
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‘’He was a very funny dad,” said Joseph
Edwards. “Kids in the neighborhood would come over to our house so they
could play board games against him.” |
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Joseph Edwards recalled one cross-country road
trip he took with his father. It included a visit to a site where parts
of his all-time favorite movie, The Searchers, was filmed. |
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“He and I thought it was petty neat. It helped
me realize that there are only so many times you have with your father,”
Joseph Edwards said. |
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The family showed the lighter side of Fred
Edwards Friday. |
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Among the “fun facts about Fred,” was his
spending the summer after graduating high school driving around camping
in state parks. |
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Edwards was a big fan of the Houston Astros and
the University of Texas Longhorns. His highlight was attending the
Longhorn National Championship game at the Rose Bowl after the 2005
season. |
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Fred Edwards assisted state district judges in
the Montgomery County Courthouse. |
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“Judge Edwards was a mentor for all of the
younger judges,” said Judge Michael Seiler of the 435th state district
Court. |
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“He’s going to be missed greatly,” Seiler said. |
