Blog no. 51

Harry Akin Edwards was born on June 27, 1912, in Columbia, Maury County, TN, to Lucius Hendley “Lewis” Edwards and Hattie Agnes Huggins. He had three brothers, and their names were Mack William Edwards, Lucius Hendley Edwards Jr., and John Theophilus Edwards. 

On November 1, 1941, in North Augusta, South Carolina, Harry married Christine Elizabeth Anderson. They had six children. Their names are Harry Akin Edwards Jr., Linda Carol (Edwards) Morton, Diane (Edwards) Bennett, William Hendley Edwards, Paul Anderson Edwards, and James Ronald Edwards. 

On March 19, 1942, at Fort Oglethorpe, GA, Harry enlisted into the army to fight in World War II. According to a newspaper article about Harry, during the war, he was on the RMS Queen Elizabeth and went from New York to Scotland to England and France. In November 1944, Harry was admitted into the hospital after battle because pieces of shrapnel had gotten in his thorax. He was discharged that same month and I believe was able to go home.

Harry was a construction worker, farmer, and retired from the David Lipscomb University’s maintenance department. Those jobs were not what he was mainly known for though. In his later years, Harry spent most of his time out on his front porch at 5242 Main Street, in Spring Hill, TN, waving at the motorists passing by. He did this for many years and even past his 90th year of age. People stopped by Harry’s home all the time to say hello and talk, which made Harry very happy. Many people, some who never even met him, remember him for being the kind man that waved to everyone all the time on Main Street, in Spring Hill, TN.

Sadly, on February 14, 2009, in Spring Hill, Maury County, TN, Harry died. He was buried directly across from his home at the Spring Hill Memorial Park cemetery. Since his death in 2009, his home has been well preserved and used as the In Motion Spine & Joint Center.