James "Jimmy" Ray Edgerton

James “Jimmy” Ray Edgerton, 94, of Wilson passed away Sunday, August 3, 2025. Funeral services will be held at noon on Saturday, August 9, 2025, at Joyner’s Funeral Home, Wilson. Interment will follow in Maplewood Cemetery, Wilson. Chaplain Jay Edgerton will officiate.

The family will receive friends Saturday morning prior to the service from 10:30 – 12:00 at Joyner’s Funeral Home, 4100 Raleigh Road Parkway, Wilson.

Jimmy was a man who believed in hard work, never met a stranger, and filled every room with stories, and laughter. He was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, a faithful servant of God, and someone who lived out his values every day.

He loved cars, he often had one for sale and he was known for leaving voicemails reminding his grandchildren to check their oil or take care of their vehicles. Which was a small way he continued to show love and care. He had a gift for conversation and could strike up a 30-minute chat with anyone he met whether he was in a hurry or not. His faith was central to his life. He was a deacon, an usher, and a long-time church bus driver for Forest Hills Baptist Church. He served his church community with the same heart he served his family steadily and selflessly.

Jimmy worked for Roadway Freight Lines for over twenty years and later was the owner and operator of Southern Cafeteria in Goldsboro, along with several service stations. Throughout his life he loved taking road trips with his beloved wife Evelyn to see friends and family even if it was driving several hours just to have lunch with a cousin and to turn around a go back home.

But his greatest devotion was to Evelyn. In her final years, as she battled Alzheimer’s, Jimmy made a daily hour-long round trip to sit beside her, hold her hand, and talk to her. He lived for her, and in those quiet moments, he revealed the full depth of his love. He showed an unwavering example of what it means to care for someone fully, tenderly, and without condition.

Jimmy is survived by his daughter, Mary Lou Aldridge; son, James “Jay” Edgerton and wife, Diane; granddaughters, Amy Crow and husband, Justin, Beth Seymour and husband, Allen, Jennifer Selph and husband, Derrick, Melissa Joyner and husband, Raymond, Amanda Edgerton and husband, Mitchell, and Faith Edgerton; grandsons, Matthew Garrett and wife, Cindi-Jean, Heber Aldridge and wife, Jeanna, and Christopher Edgerton and wife, Tan; fourteen great-grandchildren; and son-in-law, Robert Garrett.

He was preceded in death by his wife of seventy-four years, Evelyn Mae Edgerton; daughter, Marsha Garrett; parents, Hubert and Pearl Edgerton; sister, Gilmore Hanson; brother, Edwin “Ed” Edgerton; and son-in-law, Heber “Bo” Aldridge.

Flowers are welcome or consider memorials to Mulligans Fore Kids, PO Box 3413, Wilson, North Carolina 27895.

Condolences directed to Joyner’s Funeral Home and Crematory at www.joyners.net.