Emily Edgar

Opp City Schools announced Emily Edgar's death on Tuesday 6 October 2026 in a statement posted on social media, about four months after her retirement took effect. The announcement did not give the exact date, place or cause of death. She had been diagnosed with cancer in 2025, but the district did not say whether her death was connected to that illness.

"She led with dedication, compassion, integrity, and a genuine desire to do what was best for others," the district said. "She was deeply loved by those who knew and worked alongside her and was highly respected throughout the education community." Her death was reported by WTVY. Funeral arrangements had not been published when the news was announced.

Few details of Emily Edgar's early life have been published. She began working for Opp City Schools in Opp, Covington County, Alabama, at the age of 19, and in 2026 she said the school system had been her only career since then.

Edgar spent about 37 years with Opp City Schools, serving in a number of roles over nearly four decades. Looking back in 2026, she wrote that the district had given her opportunities that guided her into roles she never imagined for herself, and that she was grateful for the privilege of serving in so many capacities.

On Monday 1 July 2024 the Opp City Schools Board of Education appointed her superintendent at a meeting held at the district's central office, as reported by the Andalusia Star-News. She led the district for nearly two years.

She announced her retirement in March 2026 in a statement posted on the school system's Facebook page, effective 1 June 2026. "The pinnacle of my career has been serving as Superintendent," she wrote. "Representing this wonderful school system alongside such a dedicated and genuine group of people has been a partnership that is productive, supportive, and ultimately successful for the students of Opp City Schools."

Edgar was diagnosed with cancer in 2025, while she was superintendent. The Opp school community publicly supported her through her treatment. At the Bobcats' Halloween night home football game that season she delivered the game ball in front of fans dressed in green, who cheered her on to fight "like a boss."

In December 2025 students at Opp High School built a pollinator garden dedicated to her, funded through grants and class projects and designed as an outdoor space for work, science and cooking lessons.

Opp City Schools said Edgar would remain in the heart of the school system forever and that her influence could be seen in the students she served, the educators she encouraged and the leaders she mentored. "Thank you, Mrs. Edgar, for 37 years of service, leadership, friendship, and love for Opp City Schools," the district said. "Once a Bobcat, always a Bobcat."

In December 2025, while she was still in office, students at Opp High School honored her by dedicating their new pollinator garden to her.