Edward Allen Warner

GARNER – Edward Allen Warner, 80, passed away December 25, 2022. Ed was born on April 4, 1942, in Putnam Co., West Virginia. He was the son of the late Mildred and Robert Warner.

Ed grew up on a farm, played baseball and attended Poca High School where he played quarterback and pitcher, threw discus and was the Valedictorian of his Senior class. He attended Morris Harvey College, where he met Sue and received his degree in Mathematics and Physics. After they were married in Dunbar, WV, they moved to Alabama where Ed did graduate work at Auburn University. In 1966, they relocated to Raleigh for more graduate work at NC State University’s new Nuclear Engineering school. Ed was a huge fan of his Auburn Tigers and his NCSU Wolfpack!! Ed and Sue settled in Raleigh, North Carolina where Ed worked as a mechanical engineer for Douglas Y. Perry Associates. Later, he and two colleagues started their own engineering company, Omni Engineering, and he finished out his professional career in the School Planning Department of NC DPI. He was a member of Sertoma, ASHRAE and the Rotary Club, where he always played pivotal roles as a project leader.

Ed was an avid runner, golfer and softball player, and he took up the sport of soccer at age 40 as a member of the first CASL adult soccer team. Ed was a hot shot with a basketball, would run anyone around the tennis court, was a typical WV marksman with a shotgun or a bow, and just ask Delmas, the man could lasso a fish! He schooled his kids on the ping pong and pool tables; and won several gold medals in Senior Games track events, all the way until his and Finis Cavender’s sons were old enough to compete with them in a relay. Over the years, Ed coached both Amy and Robert in the beautiful game and drove thousands of miles to coach and cheer on their teams. He actually got a red card while coaching a game!!

Ed and Sue became members of the Brooks Avenue church of Christ in 1975, where they supported the college ministry for many years, hosting events and travelers at the Warner Convention Center - the family home he and Sue designed. Like his Daddy, Ed built the house in his spare time with the immeasurable help of many brethren and loyal friends. Ed served as an Elder at Brooks Avenue and later at the Raleigh church of Christ, and participated in many mission trips to Honduras. Ed and Sue enjoyed traveling to places like Barbados, Cancun, Uruguay and Scotland, as well as family road-tripping all the way across the United States, twice, and up to Canada. Family was very important to Ed, and Hill and Warner family events are always full of laughter, games, music and fun. Ed enjoyed researching family genealogy, playing with his grandchildren, and of course attending their graduations, soccer games, and swim meets. Fun fact: Ed couldn’t float.

Ed is remembered by friends and family as:

“Ed was a man of few words, but never hesitated to speak the truth when it was in question.”

“The memory I will always carry of Ed was seeing him at the office, working hard as if it were his own.”

“Imagine the reunion he is having with those who have gone on before! I am thankful for his years of service to the Lord. What a great, godly man.”

“Ed Warner was a quiet man…there was a good sense of humor too that often, unexpectedly, would have us laughing at something he said quietly at exactly the right moment… Ed was steady, consistent and utterly reliable."

“Your Dad was one of the greatest men I have ever known. He was the difference maker for my life at some of the toughest moments. He was a wonderful inspiration for my life through his humble but powerful example of what a Christian’s life should look like. He has achieved his life goal and is now with his Lord.”

Ed was preceded in death by his parents and his four siblings, Robert Lloyd, Donald Gene, Jerry Lee and Joyce Elaine. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Sue; children, Amy & Carlos Alfaro and Robert & Miriam Warner; grandchildren, Hannah Alfaro, Allen Alfaro, Nicolas Warner, Alex Alfaro, and Daniel Warner; he is also survived by his many nieces and nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in memory of Ed to the American Diabetes Association (https://diabetes.org).

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, December 30, 2022, at Raleigh Church of Christ, 911 Barringer Dr, Raleigh, NC 27606.

Arrangements are by Bryan-Lee Funeral Home, Garner, NC.