Wilgus Dickie Edwards, 85, Owsley County Farmer, Horse Breeder Dies

Wilgus “Dickie” Edwards, 85, a lifelong Owsley County farmer and a breeder of Grand Champion Rocky Mountain Horses, died Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, at his residence in Booneville, Kentucky. His obituary described him as “a highly respected farmer and Rocky Mountain Horse breeder of Owsley County his entire life.”

Edwards was born May 28, 1940, in the Pebworth Community of Owsley County. The obituary lists him as “a son of the late Edward Ashley and Emma Lee (Kendrick) Harvey,” wording printed as in family records.

Before farming full-time, Edwards worked as a Greyhound bus driver in Lexington, Kentucky. He spent the bulk of his life farming in Owsley County, where he became well known for tobacco production, registered Angus cattle, and field crop work. His leadership roles included serving as former chairman of the Owsley County Farm Bureau board and former chairman of the Owsley County Soil Conservation district.

His obituary noted that Edwards’ guidance extended beyond his own fields: “His advice was passed along to other farmers in the community, and the University of Kentucky Agriculture Department.” That advisory role linked local practices in Booneville with statewide agricultural outreach at the University of Kentucky.

In the early 1990s, Edwards and his wife, Maria, began breeding and showing Rocky Mountain Horses. The obituary says, “In the early 1990’s along with his wife, Maria, they started their adventure in the Rocky Mountain Horse industry. They became very successful breeders and Ambassadors for the breed, raising Grand Champion horses, showing and shipping them around the world and the US for others to enjoy the Rocky Mountain Horse.” The couple shipped animals nationally and internationally and served as visible promoters of the breed.

He was a member of Elk Lick Missionary Baptist Church in Booneville. Edwards was married to Maria (Hamilton) Edwards for 66 years; the obituary lists her as “his loving wife of 66 years.” Surviving family members named in the obituary include two sons: Mark (Susan) Edwards of Booneville, KY, and David (Elizabeth) Edwards of Beattyville, KY; one daughter, Anita (Tom) Brandner of Hamilton, OH; two grandchildren, Ashley Edwards and Kasey Fields; and six great-grandchildren, Major, Conor, Addison, Wyatt, Caroline, and Colton. The obituary also notes he was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Katherine Roberts.

Funeral services were held Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, at Booneville Funeral Home in Booneville, Kentucky, with Pastor Rob Morgan and Pastor Andy Call officiating. Burial followed in the Harvey section of Brandenburg Cemetery in Booneville. Booneville Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Neighbors and farm colleagues in Owsley County will remember Edwards for his decades of crop and cattle production, his county leadership with the Farm Bureau and Soil Conservation district, and the Grand Champion Rocky Mountain Horses he and Maria raised and shared with audiences across the United States and abroad.