Charles Hugh Edmonds: – 09/16/20

Obituaries

Tuesday, 15 September 2020 13:26

Charles Hugh Edmonds, Sr., Ed.D., 74 of Grant passed away Tuesday, September 8, 2020. Private services were held for the family in Free Home Cemetery. Charlie was a member of the Church of Christ.
He was born on Sunday, September 23, 1945 at Mt. Shade. Charlie loved his family, simply country life, Alabama football and the K.D.S. DAR School and Grant community. He was a lifelong learner, pursuing degrees from Jacksonville State University, the University of Alabama and the Birmingham School of Law. At an early age, Charlie grew up farming cotton by hand and plowing with a mule. He thought he would be a mechanic until a teacher-friend talked him into taking a college trip. That trip would be life-changing and lead to a lifelong service in public education, spanning 44 years at every level. During his career in education, he spent more time on administrators, teachers and students and less time on the bureaucracy and politics often associated with the field.
“Our teachers know a whole lot more than legislators and politicians as to what needs to be done in the classroom. For real change to occur, it is essential to need buy-in and input from the people who serve in the field. I’ve spent my career focused on finding people who know education best, letting them do their jobs, knowing full well that success will likely follow.”
He also practiced law in the Marshall County area for five years, also serving as an AEA lawyer, representing teachers across the state. Additionally, he spent time in the United States Army, serving his county stateside and abroad, including a 13-month deployment in Korea.
Charlie is survived by his wife of 53 years, Bobbie Smith Edmonds; daughters, Sharon Edmonds, Kelly Edmonds (Graeme) Daniel, Annie Edmonds (Tabor) Conwell; sons, Charles (Erica) Edmond Jr., Ed.D., Alan (Wendy) Edmonds, Brian (Cayley) Edmonds, Dan Edmonds. He was a loving grandfather to his 14 grandchildren and great-grandson. He was loved by his siblings, Harold Edmonds, Margaret Kirkland, Jerry Edmonds, Marcia Black, Brenda Givens.
He was preceded in death by his parents, L.D. and Velma Edmonds; brother, Harold.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to the K.D.S. DAR School for a scholarship to be named in his memory.