Edward Adams, Sr.

Edward Maxwell Adams, Sr., 96, passed away after a brief illness on October 6, 2018.  He was born on February 25, 1922 in Parkersburg, West Virginia, the son of Isaac Maxwell Adams and Beryl Moore Adams.  He was a longtime resident of Owensboro, KY and subsequently Doylestown, PA, Punta Gorda, FL, and Winston-Salem, NC. A man of great integrity and character, Ed attended West Virginia University, the Boeing School of Aeronautics, and Marietta College.  He served in the 12th Air Support Command of the U.S. Army Air Forces, participated in five D-Day invasions in Algeria, Sicily, and Southern France, and was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.  Three days after returning from 27 months overseas during World War II, he married Mary Lou Davis, his hometown sweetheart. In 1947, Ed joined the Murray Quarry Tile Company and served as President when it was acquired by American Olean Tile Company.  He worked at American Olean as Senior Vice President and Executive Vice President for many years, overseeing all operations, research and development, engineering, mining, and expansion projects for the company’s eight manufacturing locations across the United States.  Ed served on the Board of Directors of American Olean and was a founding member of the Tile Council of America, serving as president in 1985.  He was named Tile Person of the Year in 1998.Ed was an avid pilot — once flying solo in his Beechcraft Baron from Kentucky to Newfoundland — and a charter member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.  He was a member of the Owensboro-Daviess County Airport Board for eight years and served as Chairman, during which time he received a gubernatorial appointment to the Kentucky Air Zoning Commission. Ed was a passionate University of Kentucky football season ticket holder for almost 60 years and with his family attended almost every home football game until recently.   He was a Master Mason, a member of the Kosair Shriners, and a Kentucky Colonel.  Ed was an ordained officer in the Presbyterian Church and was a member of Highland Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem. Ed was a devoted husband, father, and brother who cherished his family and was dearly loved by all who knew him.  He was predeceased by his wife of 61 years, Mary Lou Davis Adams, his children Kathy Adams Cuthbert and Edward Maxwell Adams, Jr., and his sisters Mary Moore Rieffenberger and Peggy Goldenberg.  He is survived by his daughter, Dr. Melanie Adams of Winston-Salem, NC, daughter-in-law Rita Greenwell Adams of Owensboro, KY, grandchildren Stan Conrad (Karis), Laura Conrad Laberinto (Vince), Jamie Cuthbert Shultz, Thomas Adams, Charlie Adams, and Elizabeth Adams, brother-in-law Bob Goldenberg, and several great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews as well as many loyal and loving friends. A service celebrating Ed’s life will be held on October 13, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at Highland Presbyterian Church.  Memorial contributions may be made to Highland Presbyterian Church, 2380 Cloverdale Avenue, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, or the Salvation Army.