Wilbur Shields Edwards, 97, of Barrington Hills, Illinois, died Saturday, December 21, 2013, in Barrington, Illinois. He was the President of Early Parenting Foundation, underwriter of the website, www.myyoungchild.org, which provides stories for young children about truthfulness, honesty, integrity, respect and responsibility. He was born on July 25, 1916, to William James and Amy (Shields) Edwards in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wilbur was a 1937 graduate of Davidson College, where he was president of the Student Body his senior year, and went on to attend Yale Divinity School.
Prior to creating the Early Parenting Foundation-which Wilbur formed in his nineties-he was President of Magna Systems. Magna Systems is a producer of video programs for the classroom promoting child development for community colleges, colleges, and universities. He was an executive for eighteen years with CBS in sales, radio and Television-station management in Charlotte, Chicago, Boston, New York, and Los Angeles. Wilbur went on to spend seventeen years with Encyclopedia Britannica as Vice-President of Sales for Britannica Films, Executive Vice President of Encyclopedia Britannica Educational Corporation, and as President of Compton’s Encyclopedia. Wilbur moved with his wife, Jane, and their children in 1957 to Barrington Hills. There he grew black walnut trees on his property and was an active member of the Walnut Council. He was a founder of the Presbyterian Church of Barrington in 1960, and was an active member of the Barrington Hills Country Club.
Wilbur is survived by his children, Ashton (Mary Jon) Edwards, 199 Summer Hill Rd., Madison CT 06443, Jay (Dawn) Edwards of Lake Forest, Illinois and Alisa Edwards of Gualala, CA; seven grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and brothers, Ralph (Bennie) Edwards and John (Barbara) Edwards. He was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Jane Holman Edwards; his parents; brothers, Charlie, Ned, Hugh, and William Edwards. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, January 3, 2014, at the Presbyterian Church of Barrington, 6 Brinker Road, Barrington, IL 60010. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to, Presbyterian Church of Barrington, www.pcbarrington.org or 847-381-0975. For information, please contact Davenport Family Funeral Home, 847-381-3411. For online condolences, please visit www.davenportfamily.com.