COAL GROVE – Eighty-six years ago today in Haldeman, Ky.

Saturday, April 22, 2000

COAL GROVE – Eighty-six years ago today in Haldeman, Ky., a little girl took her first breath.

"Grandma helped bring me into this world and she said, ‘Well now Lillie, we got her name,’" that little girl said this week, chuckling slightly as she thought about her life’s beginning so long ago.

"I got a lot of teasing about it but I was always glad they named me Easter."

Say Happy Birthday to Easter Edwards, born Easter Sunday, April 23, 1914.

Friends and family gathered at Sunset Nursing Center for her birthday party Saturday, a day early, but Mrs. Edwards said she would wake up celebrating this morning, too.

It’s the first time she can remember that her birthday has fallen again on an Easter Sunday.

"She always said if she could live until 2000 she’d see another Easter birthday," said Lisa Mootz, granddaughter-in-law.

"Sometimes I feel 86, sometimes I don’t, but I’m happy to have another birthday," the birthday girl said, voice bright through her smile.

Mrs. Edwards grew up outside Haldeman, but still in Kentucky, the daughter of Charles and Lillie Click, and one of 10 siblings.

In her later childhood, the family moved to Coal Grove where she has lived since.

Years afterward, she would marry George Edwards, now deceased, work at Henrite’s in Ironton, raise three daughters and a son, become a member of Forestdale School’s PTA, join Community Baptist at Deering and settle into a happy routine of gardening and watching 12 grandkids grow.

"I don’t have any bad Easter memories and that’s good," Mrs. Edwards said.

She always tried to have tulips and other flowers in the garden. Once or twice, it snowed. She always boiled eggs.

"When my kids were little, we’d go outside to hide eggs," she said.

Not those plastic ones, either.

"We ate eggs until we were all sick," Sheila Mootz said, remembering with her mother.

"We liked boiled eggs. They were a real treat."

Mrs. Edwards shook her head about other days, other recollections.

"Oh, I don’t remember," she said.

She really did, just didn’t want to say.

Instead, Sheila recalled another favorite childhood tale.

"Mom used to take dinner to us kids at Forestdale School, when she was part of the PTA," she said, grinning. "Chicken and dumplings for the whole school of course, the school wasn’t too big."

Mrs. Edwards laughed, nodding her head.

"Oh, you’re not going to put that in the paper are you?" she asked.

The birthday girl laughed again.

She never realized 86 years of memories could be that interesting to anyone.H