Obituary of Edwin Randle

Edwin Randle, formerly of Frankfort, died January 7, 2017 at his home in Woodford County after a long illness. He was born June 5, 1930 in Nashville, Tennessee to the late Edwin Scruggs Randle and Dorothy Weber Randle. He was preceded in death by Charlene Davies Randle, his wife of 51 years. Edwin’s family moved to Somerset when he was a small child, and he spent the remainder of his childhood there. He attended the University of Kentucky, College of Engineering, and it was during this time that he met and married fellow engineering student Charlene Davies. After service with the U. S. Army during the Korean Conflict, the couple returned to Frankfort, the bride’s hometown. For the next 30 years the capital city was home to the Randle family and Edwin’s growing business. Edwin started his career as a partner in the Dawson Bridge Company, and in 1967 he formed his own business, the E. Randle Company. His company built numerous bridge and highway projects in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi. Mr. Randle was also President of the G. D. Davies Company, a paving company started by his father-in-law, G. D. Davies and he also served as President of the Kentucky Highway Contractors Association in 1968. In addition to his work, Randle also enjoyed success as a partner in Randle Webb Stables, which bred, raised, and raced Standardbred horses for more than 30 years. He took great pleasure in following his horses and watching them race all over the United States. The list of Randle’s projects would be incomplete without mention of Ashley House Farm in Versailles. Restoration of this gracious southern estate on Midway Pike was truly a labor of love. The house is on the National Historic Register, and Randle’s commitment to preserving the unique landscape of the inner Bluegrass led him to list the farm with the Bluegrass Conservancy. Ashley House Farm has been the family home for the last 32 years, and has been the site of many charitable events, family weddings, anniversaries, Sunday night suppers for friends, and an annual Christmas party that the Randles held for 30 years. Edwin is survived by his three children: Ashley Randle Averell (William), Frankfort; Holly Randle Poling (Rod, M.D.), Columbia, Tennessee; and Edwin “Ted” Davies Randle (Shari), Versailles; and also by a sister, Dorothy Randle Neuville Moore, Millbrook, New York. He is mourned by his grandchildren: Randle Meigs Averell, Versailles; Lindsay Poling Norton, M.D. (Robert), Columbia, Tennessee; and Caroline Davies Poling, Nashville. Other survivors include step-grandchildren Wade Michael Gibson and Nicholas Alexander Gibson and his great-grandchild Conor Poling Norton, as well as several nieces and nephews. Visitation will be from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 14, 2017 at Rogers Funeral Home, Frankfort. A brief memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. and will be followed by a reception at Ashley House Farm, Midway Pike. Donations in Edwin’s memory may be made to Hospice of the Bluegrass, 663 Teton Trail, Frankfort, KY 40601 or the Bluegrass Conservancy, 380 S Mill St #205, Lexington, KY 40508.