Gloria Jannette Edwards

Gloria “Jannette” Edwards was born on Friday, December 8, 1950 to Lorene Jannette (Brown) and David
Lee Edwards, Jr. in Stephens, Arkansas. She was the first-born child of her parent’s nine children. Her
siblings to this union are Lois Jean Tolliver (Jake), Marie Ann, Carrie Lee, David Lee, III, Charlie Dean
(Cheryle (d)), Horace Jay (Wanda), Veronica Lynn Davis (Avery Sr.) and Rhoda Renee.
Jannette gave birth to three children, Steven Fuschia Snow (fa. Sheppard King, Jr.), Nathalee Marie
Jones (fa. Arlise Lee Crawford) and Marika Wandjuk Wicks (fa. Eugene Wicks).
During her early years she lived with her mother and both of her grandparents (Brown’s & Edwards’)
while her father served our country as a Sargent in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Upon his
Honorable Discharge he relocated the family to Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was two years old at the
time of the move.
There, Jannette started elementary school at John Hay entering kindergarten at the age of four. She
spent two years there and then went to live with her grandmother Iola Edwards and spent her 2 nd grade
year at Rosston Elementary School in Arkansas. She returned to Minneapolis for her 3 rd and 4 th grade
years at John Hay. She then returned to Stephens, Arkansas to live with her mothers’ parents, J.P. and
Bennie (Lewis) Brown and attended her 5 th grade year at (George Washington) Carver (her High School
Alma Marta) where she met her lifelong BFF JoAnn Jones-Green. Upon returning to Minneapolis, she
completed elementary school at John Hay. She then attended Lincoln Junior High for her 7 th and 9 th
grade years and then went on to attend North High School for her 10 th grade year. At North, she was
involved in team Track, Badminton Club and Biology Clubs. She then returned to Stephens Carver High
School where she graduated in 1968. During her tenure there she was a member of the Honor Roll
Society, was overwhelmingly elected by the student body as their School Queen and was a member of
the Senior Girls Basketball Team playing first string. Jannette was the recipient of a four-year Martin
Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Award which she used to attend the University of Minnesota, College of
Liberal Arts majoring in Child Phycology and Public Health, her prerequisite for the School of Nursing.
After her second year at the U of M Gloria took a summer job with Northwestern Bell, which lasted for
34 years. Her entry into the Ma Bell workforce started as a Teletype Operator. She transferred to
Southern Bell in Atlanta, Georgia as a Customer Service Representative. When divestiture of the
company was ruled on, she elected to go with AT&T as a Sales Account Executive. During her tenure
with AT&T she received numerous customer service and achievement awards, one of which was the
Golden Boy Award and with that she was inducted into The AT&T Hall of Fame NYC, New York, the
highest honor given to an employee by AT&T. She accredited her father for teaching her “An honest
days’ work for an honest days’ pay” and her mother for telling her “Don’t work a job where you have to
be on your feet all day. Get yourself a desk job”. Her career was comprised of all “desk jobs.” After many

years of service, awards and a rewarding career, Gloria retired at the age of fifty-five from AT&T after
thirty-four years.
Jannette traveled the world. Some of her most notable travels included France, Amsterdam and Spain.
She spent several months in Spain with her son, which is where he resided. She then went on to spend
time in Houston, Texas to support her daughter Nathalee and her husband Proncell’s nine children,
some of whom have special needs. She absolutely loved ALL of her grandchildren and knew them to be
highly intelligent and gifted. Jannette always acknowledged (bragged) these facts to family and friends.
She was immensely proud of them all. Her time supporting her daughter and her family was cut short as
a result of her breast cancer diagnosis. Thankfully, she defeated her first battle with cancer with the
over pouring love and support shown to her by her family and friends.
Throughout her life and until her death, she lived life abundantly and solely on her terms. She traveled
when her heart desired, spending time, sometimes months, with her family in Minnesota, Arkansas and
Texas. Jannette enjoyed shopping, eating out, attending family events, celebrating all of life’s milestones
and accomplishments while creating life-long memories with those she loved the most. If she could help
it, she never missed a birthday, graduation, wedding, family reunion or a celebratory moment. Although
she was retired, she relished in her honorary role as the matriarch of the Edwards family. In her
matriarchal capacity, she provided family management, mentorship, guidance, advisement and
historical family knowledge and wisdom about EVERYTHING! Known for her blond hair, red nails and
lips, she was well known and liked by many near and far. She will truly be remembered and missed by all
who had the privilege to know and love her.
Jannette was preceded in death by her father David Lee Edwards, Jr., her much beloved mother Lorene
Jannette Brown-Edwards, her grandmothers Bennie Lee Brown (fa .Willie King Lewis, mo. Mary Lee
Love) and Iola Edwards (fa. John Zachery, mo. Dora Reed), her grandfathers J.P. Brown (fa. Henry, mo.
Lillie Jackson) and David Lee Edwards, Sr. (fa. William, mo. Ella Buffington) and her Soulmate of 22 years
Tennette Reese, Jr. and her precious son, Steven Fuschia Snow.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Gloria Jannette Edwards, please visit our floral store.