Edna Duncan Gordon

Edna Lee Duncan Gordon, 91, of High Point, North Carolina, passed away on August 2, 2026, at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, surrounded by her loving family.

Edna was born on December 19, 1934, in Wadesboro, North Carolina, to James Duncan and Beulah Cash Duncan. She was the sixth of eleven children born to this union and spent her earliest childhood years working alongside her family on their farm.

Edna was no stranger to hard work. Each day after school, rather than completing homework, she worked alongside her siblings to help with farm work. Those experiences built in her a remarkable endurance and strength that would carry her throughout her life.

As a young woman, she married Ishmael “June” Byrd and, with little more than hopes and dreams, moved her family from Wadesboro to Thomasville, North Carolina, in search of a better future.

Throughout her life, Edna worked several jobs to provide for her children. Despite the hardships she faced, she took pride in the fact that her children were clean, well-cared for, and deeply loved. She faithfully cared for her ailing mother until her mother’s passing, a testament to her selfless love and unwavering commitment to serving others. Edna was a devoted member of Another Chance Ministries in High Point, North Carolina.

She loved the Lord and carried His Word in her heart wherever she went. She faithfully lived out the command found in John 13:34 to love one another as Christ Himself has loved us. Known affectionately as “Nana” by her grandchildren, Edna had a larger-than-life personality and was the very definition of an independent woman. She lived life on her own terms and remained true to herself until the very end. She never hesitated to help someone in need and was always willing to give, even when she did not have the means.

Her unshakable faith, generous spirit, and kind heart will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her. Edna was preceded in death by her husband, James Gordon; her parents, James and Beulah Duncan; her daughter, Teresa Pullins; her sons, James “Billy Byrd” Duncan and Daryl Byrd; her sisters, Elizabeth Richardson, Virginia “Bear” Allen, Betty Duncan Smith, and Beulah Mae Duncan; and her brothers, William “Bill” Duncan, James “Tom” Duncan, and Joe Louis Duncan.

She leaves to cherish her memory her daughters, Anita (Walter) Crosby, Yolanda “Y-Vette” Anukwuem, and Ladonna “Shapel” (Maurice) Cobb; her sons, Michael (Kim) Byrd and Jeffrey (Tammy) Byrd; her sisters, Sarah “Frank” Leak and Emma Smith; her brother, Amos Duncan; her beloved granddaughter, Renee Canty; and a host of grandchildren, great- grandchildren, nieces, nephews, extended family, and dear friends.