Dr. Edison McKinley Amos (’59, ’76)
Dr. Edison McKinley Amos, a devoted Methodist minister, theologian, husband, father, grandfather, and advocate for justice, passed away peacefully on August 3, 2025, at the age of 96. For nearly a century, he lived with a purpose rooted in faith, driven by intellect, and held together by love. Born in Max Meadows, Virginia, Edison was the son of James Washington Amos and Addie Brown Allen Amos. He was a Hospital Corpsman in the Navy at Patuxent Naval Station.
After serving in the Navy Medical Corps near the close of World War II, he pursued his calling with academic rigor and spiritual discipline, earning his Bachelor s from Wofford in 1951 and his Master s of Divinity from Emory University s Candler School of Theology, and a Doctor of Theology from Boston University. He got engaged to the love of his life, Mary Ellen Copeland, on December 31, 1948, and they later married on May 28, 1949, at the Methodist parsonage in Brevard, NC. She became his closest collaborator in editing his papers, in raising their children, and in serving beside him in every church they were called to. In 1957, he moved with his young family to Massachusetts to pursue his doctoral studies, a decision made not from ambition, but out of an unshakable sense of vocation.
Together they created a ministry that stretched across churches and generations. Edison began his ministry in the early 1950s and served churches including Westwood, Dumbarton, Epworth Chapel, Good Shepherd, Rockville and Potomac United Methodist Churches. His ministry was known for its scriptural depth, theological precision, and moral courage. Long before it was common, Edison spoke openly and unequivocally about gender equality, racial justice, and the essential dignity of every person. He believed that the Gospel demanded more than belief and it demanded action.
In his later years, he traveled widely across the U.S. and Europe, supporting his family and deepening his study of the Christian life. He became a passionate voice within the Christian Ashram movement, helping to carry forward the vision of E. Stanley Jones, whom he admired deeply. Like Jones, Edison believed in contextual faith, the power of self-surrender, and the beauty of communal spiritual discipline. In one Ashram interview, he said plainly: We need not just a theology, but a fellowship that makes that theology real. Edison was also a student of history and a poet of conviction.
He wrote songs and verses inspired by scripture, justice, and the call of the Gospel. Most notably, he wrote a powerful tribute to Rev. Clementa Pinckney and the Charleston Nine, written in the form of a spiritual lament and rallying cry against racism. He believed that the work of Christ extended into the moral arc of history and that words could be a tool of both comfort and confrontation. He loved the Psalms, returning to them daily in study and prayer. He often studied Psalm 119:105, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. and Psalm 23, whose final line he lived with quiet trust: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. He taught his family by example. He was faithful. You could count on him. He loved Jesus and his family with equal sincerity, and he saw no conflict in holding high standards for both.
In retirement, he would regularly visit his brother, Woodrow, who he much admired, at Arlington National Cemetery. To us, he was Granddad: deeply principled, quietly witty, loyal to the bone, and intellectually curious until his final days. To many, he was Uncle Eddie. He cared for and loved Mary, whom he referred to as Mary, my Mary until her final days. In his later years, he found joy in his year-round Christmas tree, Jeni s ice cream, the Orioles, and college football. He is preceded in death by his son, Edison Michael Amos (1954 2004); his wife of 69 years, Mary Ellen Copeland Amos (1929 2019); and his brothers, Woodrow Lincoln Amos, Emerson Laneir Amos, and Bryan Washington Amos.
He is survived by his daughters, Dr. Marie Amos Dobyns and Tori Amos Hawley; son-in-law Mark Hawley; daughter-in-law Debbie Amos; brother Hillel Jonathan Amos, nine grandchildren; and more great-grandchildren and nephews and nieces than he could keep track of (but he tried!). He was grateful for the loving care and company of Olive, Yvonne, Magon, Janice, and Mrs. Blake until his last days. He walked humbly, studied constantly, and held fast to the faith that God is not done. As Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the one…whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”
A joint celebration of life for both Dr. Edison Amos and Mary Ellen Amos will be held in the fall of 2026 at Potomac United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) or to organizations supporting women s theological education and leadership in ministry. Some day, like Enoch, God will take him home. And we will say as he often did: Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.