Family mourns Passaic couple, married 39 years, who were killed in apartment fire
Yvonne Edwards was well known for calling her family members, often just to check in.
She did it so much that her daughter, Inez Holmes, jokingly reminded her that she was an adult with a busy life, and playfully asked if she wanted her number blocked. But Holmes knew her mother's calls were simply her way of showing love to her four daughters.
"She just always wanted to know we were OK," Holmes said. She then recalled Edwards' common response to any protests from her children: "I don't care how old you are. You're always going to be my baby."
Edwards and her husband, Fred, died in a fire at their apartment on Spruce Street in Passaic on March 3. Yvonne was a month away from her 70th birthday, while Fred would have turned 84 on March 29.
The couple had been married 39 years, and their family included four children, 13 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. While Holmes joked that her mother spent much of her time with Fred "fussing him out," she added, "They spent a lot of years together loving each other, there's no doubt about that."
Holmes described Yvonne as a spiritual woman who loved attending church, reading her Bible and "anything to do with God." In fact, her daughter said, Yvonne was getting ready for church when the fire started and quickly spread through the apartment.
Yvonne had just earned her ministry degree in October and formerly worked in the church day care. She began her career as a certified nursing assistant and later worked as a paraprofessional in Passaic schools before retiring.
Fred was known to virtually everybody in the Passaic community as "Big Poppa" — the nickname even made it into his obituary. As Holmes put it, "If you called him Fred, people might not know who you were talking about."
Known for his love of cars, Fred worked for many years as a driver for a limo service and a bus company. He was also an avid drummer who originally went to school in hopes of a music career, Holmes said.
Holmes recalled the last phone call with her mother the day before she died, when Yvonne simply wanted to make sure she arrived safely as she traveled for work. Holmes may have been mildly annoyed by the calls at one time; now, she would "give everything" to hear Yvonne's voice one more time.
"She was a very loving, caring, gentle woman," Holmes said. "She loved her children until the day she left this world."
Funeral services for the couple are being handled by Bragg Funeral Homes. Visitation will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Passaic, followed immediately by the service.
To donate to a GoFundMe for the couple's services, visit www.gofundme.com/f/fred-yvonne-edwards-funeral-fund.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Daughter remembers Passaic couple killed in apartment fire
