Luella Edwards

Luella Mae Edwards age 96 of Fredericksburg, IA, died Friday, August 23, 2019, at the Hillcrest Home in Sumner. Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. Friday, August 30, 2019, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg with Pastor Ronnie Koch presiding. Interment will be in Rose Hill Cemetery, Fredericksburg. Friends may greet the family beginning at 9:30 a.m. Friday, August 30, 2019, at the church. Arrangements are with Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home in Fredericksburg. Luella was born March 31, 1923 in Callender, IA, the youngest of four children born to Herman and Emma (Bobzin) Ladwig. She was a 1941 graduate of Callender High School where she played basketball under a young teacher and coach named Ross “Gus” Edwards, who would later become her husband. They were married in February 1942 in Bethany, Missouri before returning to Callender where Gus continued to teach until he was inducted into the Navy. During his 3+ years aboard the USS Intrepid, Luella remained in Jacksonville, FL with their first child, Larry Edwards. After WWII, Lu and Gus moved to Fredericksburg where they welcomed another son, Bruce Edwards, in 1949. As wife, mother and homemaker, she devoted much time to supporting her husband’s lifelong career in education. Luella was an avid sports fan, an interest she shared with her husband and two sons. Together they cheered on the Iowa Hawkeyes and Chicago Cubs, for better or worse. She was also an excellent card-player, an impressive golfer, and enjoyed many travel adventures with Gus. After raising a family, Luella joined the sales team at the Fredericksburg Review where she worked for 24 years as Review circulation manager. She also volunteered her time to drive a van to Nashua for “special needs” children, teach Sunday School and served as President of the Ladies’ Society at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church where she was an active member. Luella’s most deeply held values stemmed from her strong faith in God and love for her family. One of the things about her family that made Luella happy was “that we all share a strong Christian faith, and that we not only love each other, but we truly enjoy each other’s company.” Luella is survived by one son, Bruce (Melinda) Edwards of Fairfax, VA; four grandchildren, Eric (Ashley) Edwards of N.C., Sonja (Jay) Kershenstein of Centreville, VA, Brock (Julie) Edwards of Rochester, MN and Emma Edwards of Rochester, MN; and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Ross “Gus” Edwards, her son Larry Edwards, her parents, and her three siblings, Harry Ladwig, Charles Ladwig and Irene Ladwig Spirek.