Sharon Edwards

Sharon Edwards, 64, died Wednesday, September 5, 2012, at Canon Hospice in Gulfport after a two-plus-year battle with cancer.
She leaves her two beloved daughters Emily and Rachel Edwards of Long Beach, MS; her brother, Mickey Guthrie of Guntersville, AL; and many friends and Christian brothers and sisters.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Michael E. Edwards and by her parents,0 Pat and Theoda Guthrie.
Sharon was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. When she was just two years old, she contracted polio. This disease impacted her life in many ways from prolonged hospital stays as a toddler to numerous surgeries to help her retain the use of her legs and an arm to a lifetime of leg braces. The Shriners provided all of her medical needs as a child and her family was profoundly grateful for their generous assistance.
She attended S. R. Butler High School and went on to earn a B.S in Business from the University of North Alabama in Florence; she was the first person in her family to attend college. One of the ways she earned her way through college was as a Resident Assistant (R.A.) for her dorm where the young ladies voted her Most Outstanding Woman.
In 1976, Sharon moved to Long Beach in order to work for Computer Sciences Corporation at the Stennis Space Center. She later worked for Hancock Bank, Beatline Storage, and Long Beach Church of Christ.
Sharon was a quiet person who found joy all around her. She enjoyed laughing, visiting and praying with friends, and she had many. She enjoyed gardening, flowers, fishing and sitting in the sunshine. She enjoyed grabbing a burger and eating down at the harbor. She was a die-hard Alabama fan. She especially enjoyed travelling, and road trips were her favorites. But the trips that most profoundly impacted her life were her six medical mission trips to Panama.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Monday, September 10, 2012, at 11:15am at Riemann Family Funeral Home, 19130 Commission Road in Long Beach, where friends may visit one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow at Biloxi National Cemetery.
The family wishes to thank Canon Hospice, Odyssey Hospice Care, Kessler oncology staff, her family at Long Beach Church of Christ, and all of her family and friends for their dedicated care for Sharon throughout her illness.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Panama Medical Missions in care of the Long Beach Church of Christ, 200 North Cleveland Ave., Long Beach, MS, 39560.
For more information, please call (228)539-9800.