Edgar William Kilby

 Edgar William Kilby, Jr. died January 23rd in Vidant Edgecombe Hospital after fighting a short battle with cancer- he was 86. 

He was born April 29th, 1935 in Marion, Virginia to Edgar William Kilby and Ollie Washington (Worley) Kilby. He was the seventh of eight children and lived his childhood days in Salem, Virginia.  As a child he helped his siblings to work on his family's farm.  He was always interested in how things worked and would take apart his bicycle - just to put it back together again- this would be a lifelong interest as he became an engineer later in life.  As a teen he worked at "Lakeside", which was an amusement park very close to his home-operating some of the rides. He told of seeing children at times that really wanted to ride but had no money- he would let them ride for free.

In 1954 he joined the Navy for 4 years and studied electronics. He also learned morse code and was a radio-man. He always told his children and grandchildren wonderful stories of flying across the Atlantic to many countries, and he lived on the Isle of Malta for six months. His years of service in the Navy were a source of great pride for him.  

After he left the Navy with his training in electronics, he was able to get a job with IBM in Raleigh. After a few months he was transferred to Tarboro and this is where he would live the remainder of his days. 

After moving to Tarboro, he met and married the love of his life, Jean Haggerty who pre-deceased him in 2016. Ed and Jean were married for 55 wonderful, loving years. Together they had four children: three daughters, Kathleen, Elizabeth and Kara- and one son, Eddie. Life went on as it does. Ed stayed busy with going to schools for IBM and working, raising four children along with Jean and being a devoted member of his church, St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Tarboro. Ed was loved by many of his children's friends and known to them as "Mr. Ed". He was always there to help trouble shoot car problems, make repairs, or to just chat and laugh with. His sense of humor, funny stories and sayings will live forever in our hearts. 

Ed is survived by his daughter Kathleen Kilby Manfredo and husband Pete of Hamilton, NJ, Kara Kilby Masselli and husband Richard of Mebane, NC, and son Edgar Kilby III, of Speed.  He has thirteen grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. He was the best Daddy and "Pops" any child could be blessed to have. Always so gentle, kind, and very funny.  He was devoted always to being the best he could be. His grandchildren will always remember him telling them to say their prayers, and make sure you get to church, taking them for ice cream, and giving the best all-encompassing hugs. He was a kind and gentle soul, and he so loved God's creatures. He bottle-fed baby squirrels that had fallen from a nest once and named them all. The squirrels became his babies and would eagerly run to him when he went into the habitat he created for them, going into his jacket pockets to look for peanuts.

Ed was a long-standing member of St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Tarboro. His faith was by far the most important thing in his life. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's organization and was instrumental in many of their charitable campaigns through the years. 

Ed also volunteered for many years at Vidant Edgecombe Hospital working in the OR, and when that became too taxing for him, he taught himself to knit so that he could make baby caps for the hospital nursery. He made at least 400 baby caps, maybe more. While he was knitting, he said prayers, so the prayers were "knitted in" for the baby and his/her family.  Many babies in Edgecombe County are probably wearing his little pink and blue caps.

We KNOW that Ed, "Daddy" "Pops" and "Mr. Ed" is flying high in heaven now with our Savior Jesus- his lifelong goal. He is with his beautiful wife, Jean and his daughter Elizabeth, his parents and siblings that pre-deceased him. He would want his family, and his many friends to go on happily with their lives and live joyfully in the Lord. Remember the kind soul that he was- his smile, his humor, and good will and to go out and do kind things for others. That is what life is all about. 

The Funeral Mass for Ed will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday at St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Tarboro with Father Eric M. Imbao officiating. The family will receive friends from 6:00-8:00 on Wednesday night at Carlisle Funeral Home. 

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