She was born Mary Elizabeth Anania in Jacksonville, FL, the daughter of a Naval officer, and was raised around the country and overseas. She attended Mary Washington College and transferred to the University of North Carolina where she earned both a bachelor's degree and a JD. In law school, she met John Edwards who was smart enough to marry this beautiful, smart woman in 1977. He became a millionaire medical malpractice attorney while she practiced bankruptcy and public service. When their teenage son, Wade died in a car accident in 1996, she quit work and spent months in mourning. When she emerged, she established a foundation in his name and had two more children. When John Edwards entered politics, she was his most trusted advisor and played major roles in his campaigns. She went public with her cancer and continued with his 2008 presidential run even when doctors told her it was inoperable. Of course, her efforts on behalf of his political career were for naught when it crashed and burned. That sordid tale is in every obituary, so I don't need to repeat it here.
She was a successful attorney, the mother of four children, a savvy political advisor, the author of two memoirs, and an inspiration for cancer patients. Hers was an amazing life cut tragically short.
