WILLIAM A. EDWARDS.

 


	William A. Edwards is the oldest established funeral director in Sas-
katoon and his success is the result of years of close application to his
business interests.  He was born in Fordwich, Ontarib, on the 16th of
October, 1886, a son of William A. and Margaret (McLaughlin) Edwards,
natives of the province of Ontario.  His father was a funeral director
at Fordwich, Ontario, for more than fifty years and he now lives retired
at Rosthern, Saskatcbewan.
	The public schools of his birthplace afforded William A. Edwards his
early education and he was graduated from the high school at Harriston.
He then took up the study of embalming, etc., and worked with different
firms, including his father's, for about two years.  In 1906 he received
a diploma from the Toronto Embalming Association at Toronto and in
that year took over his father's business, which he operated until he
went to Vancouver. He remained there for a short time and then went
to Calgary, where he worked for three years. In the fall of 1910 he came
to Saskatoon and bought out the business of G. W. Hamilton, funeral
director, and has conducted it ever since, having one of the representative
establishments in the city and district. He started in a room twenty by
thirty feet and today owns a fine modern brick building, twenty-five by
one hundred and forty feet, with three floors, and he occupies the base-
ment and ground floors.  Mr. Edwards is the oldest established under-
taker in the city.
	On the 29th of October, 1914, Mr. Edwards was married to Miss Mar-
garet Henrietta McGill and they have two children: William Arnold,
whose birth occurred on the 4th of March, 1916; and Alma Irene, born
on the 9th of July, 1920. Mrs. Edwards is a woman of culture and re-
finement and she maintains an active interest in the club and social circles
of this city, and has many friends. Fraternally Mr. Edwards is identified
with the Masons, holding membership in Saskatchewan Lodge, No. 16,
of which he is past master; is a Noble of Wawa Temple of the Mystic
Shrine; and belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is an
active member of the Rotary Club, of which he is a charter member.
His religious faith is that of the Methodist church, and he attends the
Third Avenue Methodist church, of which he is chairman of the finance
committee.  Along strictly business lines he is a member of the Sas-
katchewan Funeral Directors Association, of which he has been president.
Since attaining his majority Mr. Edwards has given his political alle-
giance to the Liberal party and he has firm belief in the principles of
that party as factors in good government.  He has never sought nor
desired public office but is essentially public-spirited and willingly assists
in the furtherance of any movement for the benefit of the community.
Although Mr. Edwards devotes the greater part of his time to his duties
as a funeral director, he has other interests and owns considerable val-
uable farm land in this province.    



	
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