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Obituaries - E

Obituaries are in Alphabetical order.  Women are listed by married names (if applicable) with maiden name in parentheses if known.


WILLIE MARTIN "BILL" EDEN
Willie Martin "Bill" Eden, son of James Andrew Monroe and Martha Frances Farris Eden, was born September 26, 1924, near Hartville, Missouri. He departed this life Thursday, July 4, 2002, in Christian Healthcare South, in Lebanon, Missouri, at the age of seventy-seven years, nine months, and eight days.

On December 25, 1946, he was united in marriage to Mary Sue Dickenson, and to this union one daughter and one son were born.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Leaman Lee Edward and George Washington Ernest; and two sisters, Arlena Mae, and Gertrude Bell.

Bill is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Mary Sue, of the home; a son and daughter-in-law, Ivan and Patty Eden, of Lebanon, Missouri; a daughter and son-in-law, Diana and Howard Anderson, of Cape Girardeau, Missouri; four grandchildren, Scott Anderson, and his wife, Tonya, Sandra Wright, and her husband, Michael, Angela Ledbetter, and her husband, Jason, and Matthew Eden; three great-grandchildren, Tyler and Devin Wright, and Dakota Anderson; a brother, Carl Eden, and his wife, Sue, of Seymour, Missouri; several nieces and nephews; as well as a host of other relatives and friends, and a special person in his life, Olga Helsley, of Hartville, Missouri.

He was born and raised in Wright County, Missouri, and then moved to Colorado for a time. He served his country faithfully in the United States Navy for seven years, and was honorably discharged on June 2, 1951. While serving in the Navy, he was stationed in the South Pacific during part of World War II. Bill and Mary Sue made their home in the Hartville area for seventeen years, and lovingly raised their family. On November 10, 1960, Bill was ordained a Freewill Baptist minister and throughout the next forty-two years he pastored a total of ten churches. He and the family made their home in various different places, close to the church where Bill was pastoring. He had served churches in Seymour, Hartville, Lebanon, Belton, Cassville, Salem, and Sunnyview, Missouri, and in Wichita and Milan, Kansas.

For several years, he owned and operated a farm, and had also done electrical work.

Bill made his profession of faith in Christ during his teenage years, and was a member of the Freewill Baptist denomination. Throughout his years in the ministry, Bill presided at sixty-three weddings, thirty-nine baptisms, and had over ninety-five conversions.

He was a member of the Hartville V.F.W. Post # 3135. In his spare time he enjoyed working in his garden and growing beautiful flowers. He enjoyed playing games like Dominos and Skip-bo. His family was very important to him and he especially enjoyed his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Bill was a devoted family man, a dedicated and concerned pastor, and a caring neighbor and friend. He will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by all those who knew and loved him.

A memorial has been established in honor of Rev. Eden for the Freewill Baptist Youth Camp, near Niangua, MO. These donations may be left at the funeral home, Holman-Howe Funeral Home, 320 S. Adams Avenue, Lebanon, MO. 65536.

Contributed by: Carrie Tuck {cvt1977@yahoo.com}

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