Ronnie Claire Edwards, ‘The Waltons’ Actress, Dies At 83

Ronnie Claire Edwards, known for her role on the classic TV series The Waltons, died at 83 in her home in Dallas, Texas, on Monday.

Edwards was said to have died peacefully in her sleep, a post on her Facebook page said.

Edwards’ most recognizable role was Corabeth Walton Godsey, in The Waltons, the wife of storekeeper Ike Godsey, played by Joe Conley. The CBS drama series centered around a family in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II.

Edwards joined the series near the end of season three as the cousin of John, played by Ralph Waite, coming to Walton’s Mountain after the death of her character’s mother.

The Waltons, created by Earl Hamner Jr., ran for nine seasons from September 1972 through June 1981. The show continued with six TV movies aired in the 1980s and 1990s on NBC and CBS. The series creator died last March at age 92.

A native of Oklahoma City, Edwards didn’t begin acting until after she turned 30 and made her onscreen debut in the 1963 film All the Way Home.

Edwards extensive resume included titles such as Nobody’s Fool (1986), The Dead Pool (1988), Sweet Bird of Youth (1989), Guess Who’s Coming for Christmas (1990). She worked again with Hamner on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Dallas and Falcon Crest.

She appeared in her last TV series, 12 Miles of Bad Road, in 2007.

Edwards was the author of the memoirs The Knife Thrower’s Assistant and Mr. Godsey Asked Me to Marry Him and I Said: “Yes!”: (Exit Sobbing), the latter with a foreword by Hamner.

She also wrote a play, Idols of the King, with Allen Crowe which dealt with the passionate fans of Elvis Presley.