Ora May Edwards died in Kennewick, September 15, 2012 at age 102. She was born March 3, 1910 in Spokane, WA to Frank and Mary Lyons. Older sister Vera Maude Rasmusen and younger brother Guy Lyons preceded as did her husband, Cecil (2008), who she married in 1943. She is survived by three children: Cecil Jr. "Chick" Edwards (wife Marsha) of Kennewick, Judie Hanley (husband John) of Clarkston, WA and Ken Edwards (Lori Ehlis) of Kennewick; also Walter Edwards (wife Gerry) and sister-in-law Joyce Edwards of Kennewick. Additionally, grandchildren Amber Hanley-Nelson (husband Craig) and KJ Hanley (wife Brooke) and great-grandsons Tanner Nelson and Wes Hanley, all of Spokane, along with seven nieces and nephews, share her loss. Our heartfelt appreciation to her special friend and niece, Donna Gose, of Kennewick, for her selfless help and watchful eyes over these most recent years. Shortly after Ora May's birth in 1910, the Lyons family of four relocated from Spokane to Finley. With the railroad establishing its divisional center in Pasco, the area was growing strong. The then current slogan was, "Keep your eye on Pasco, but watch Kennewick grow!" Her father bought ten sage-brush-covered acres, hand-dug a well and built a 14'x28' foot shelter (392 sq. ft.) for the family. Four years later they had 1500 laying hens, large barn for ten milk cows, calves, pigs, a new stable for six horses and lots of chores to do. She attended Finley Elementary and grades 9-12 at Kennewick High School. The Finley school wasn't accredited so her father paid $1.25/month for the privilege of sending her to KHS, an "out of town" school. Her first vehicle was one horsepower with four legs. Mornings she would ride a couple of miles to the school bus stop and the horse would return home on its own. "I could never train that horse to come in the afternoon and pick me up," she would say. In 1928 Ora May attended college at Cheney Normal in Cheney, WA majoring in chemistry and home economics. She held various jobs to put herself through school. She worked in Yakima as a "domestic", a clerk at Penny's, waitress at the Yakima Hotel, and the soda fountain at The Yakima Drug Store. Her first two years of teaching were at Riverview, in the Horse Heaven Hills near Kennewick, in a one-room school with grades K-8. And, she was required to live in the schoolhouse. That was 1930. She taught another 60 years, full time and substituting, until 1990 when she retired at age 80. "Another very sad day," she would write, "but I still try to be useful in some way to the human race." Ora May always had two "homes;, the one shared with her family; the other was her classroom, it was her domain. Educating and helping students was her passion. After retiring in 1990, she increased her volunteering activities. She had already been volunteering at the Kennewick Food Bank since it opened in 1982 and was instrumental in securing its current location, on Deschutes Avenue, in 1997. She has also served as Vice President of Tri-Cities Food Bank. In 2010, just prior to her 100th birthday, she fell while volunteering at the Kennewick Food Bank. The fall not only broke her hip but ended her days of volunteering. Yet, her spirit remained ever so much intact. She belonged to Rebekahs, volunteered at Old Time Fiddlers and logged 13,000 volunteer hours at Kennewick General Hospital. In 2004 she received the President's Call to Service Award from President Bush in recognition of her volunteer and community service work. She leaves behind many friends, fellow KGH and food bank volunteers, fellow teachers, past students and their children, many whom she taught as well. She worked hard, played very little and enjoyed it all. She shunned attention and sought no recognition, if not a formally religious person, she lived such tenets in exemplary fashion. Her appreciation of music and dance made The Lawrence Welk Show one of her favorite TV shows from its inception in the mid-1950s, through numerous years of reruns, until the end of her life. She would muse, "I keep getting older but they just stay the same age." As the last stanza of Welk show sign-off song goes, "And now 'til we meet again; adios, an revoir, auf wiedersehen. Good night!" A Service of Remembrance will be held Thursday, September 27, 2012, 2:00 p.m., at The Cathedral of Joy located at 1153 Gage Blvd, Richland. Phone 509/627-1109. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Kennewick Food Bank or Benton-Franklin Humane Society. Click here to watch video