Ephraim Antonio Zeno Edwards, MD, son of Samuel and Mary Edwards, passed surrounded by his family on December 20, 2019, two days before his 93rd birthday. Dr. Edwards, fondly known as Zeno, was born December 22, 1926 in Castries, St. Lucia, West Indies. One of six children, he was raised in the Catholic Church and served as an altar boy as a child. At the age of 17 he moved to the U.S. to attend college and medical school. Dr. Edwards was a proud graduate of Howard University, receiving both his BA and MD degrees from that institution. He practiced for 16 years as a general practitioner in North Carolina, initially in Laurinburg and then Shelby. He was beloved by his patients and highly regarded in the community, serving as: the campaign manager for the African American to be voted onto the Laurinburg City Council, president of the Charlotte Medical Society, VP of the Cleveland County Mental Health Association, and a member of the Mayor's Committee on Human Relations in Shelby, playing a pivotal role in the desegregation of the Cleveland County school system. In 1968 Dr. Edwards closed his practice in NC to train in anesthesia at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, CT. Upon completion of his training, he and his medical partner started Professional Anesthesia Associates in Westfield, MA, where he practiced as a board-certified anesthesiologist. During that time he served as Chief of Anesthesia and Chief of the Medical Staff of Noble Hospital in Westfield, MA. He also served as the Chairman of the Personal Committee of the Westfield YMCA and was a member of the Westfield Rotary Club, the Beta Sigma Boulé, and the Mass Medical Society. He was a lifetime member of the NAACP. Dr. Edwards retired to Greensboro, NC in 1986. He was a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., the Beta Epsilon Boulé, and the Old North State Medical Society. He was an avid stamp collector, a lover of the opera and classical music, and traveled extensively throughout his life. While Dr. Edwards will be remembered as a champion of the disenfranchised, he will be remembered most and with much love as a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He is survived by his wife, Mattie S. Edwards EdD; two daughters, Z. Colette Edwards, MD MBA and Tanise I. Edwards. MD; a son-in-law, J. Mark Evans, MD; two grandchildren, Brendan and Briana Evans; four sisters-in-law, Cora Mae Montague, Virginia Massey, Essie Lee, and Clytie Holmes; four godchildren, Mariana, Grant, and Kaelan McCone, and Sonja Jeter, and many nieces, nephews, and friends. A service honoring his life will be held Saturday, December 28, 2019 at the Cassie Coote-Brown Memorial Chapel of Perry J. Brown Funeral Home; 909 E. Market St. Greensboro, NC. Service will begin at 1pm. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Howard University College of Medicine.

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