That's a nice story, Adam. I hadn't heard that one before, but it doesn't surprise me in the least.
Ed was my #1 go-to guy for many things, especially just to talk. I don't think many middle-aged guys just call each other and talk for hours very often without having a specific reason to start the conversation. Ed and I did that frequently. Most of our calls were over two hours and covered a dozen topics. I can't think of a call that was less than an hour. I always left our calls with a smile, fun conversations/jokes to recap over dinner, and lots of good advice.
My wife Lisa often bemoaned that I cared more about Ed than I did about her, because we always had something to talk about for hours and hours. Some of these conversations were productive. Ed made a few inventions that I participated in in to some degree. Ed did all the hard work, though. The Scan-Thru-Rotator (STR) was one of those that we worked on over a six month period and it was great fun. Most of our conversations were more personal, though. His wife Mary and son Matthew were frequently part of our conversations and even his normally joking/casual manner switched to nothing but love and pride when he spoke of them. For those of you who didn't know, Ed did most of the raising of his son from a young age - pretty much alone as a single dad. These were days when men weren't usually stay-at-home dads, much less primary custody dads with little family support and the need to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Ed was amazing.
Ed was a great listener and I spent some time leaning on Ed for emotional support at times. At one point, my wife and I were getting legal attacks and physical intimidation from members of my property owner's association. The matter really stressed me out over this period. Ed spent countless hours listening, advising and joking on the matter which helped me keep my sanity. Ed was just like that - curious, patient, and generous.
On the subject of being generous, Ed kept a hundred dollar bill in his wallet that he often used to help someone that looked like they needed it. Multiple people in this forum have seen that hundred dollar bill being used, including myself. He would try to find out what interested people and talk about that. He kept up with a wide range of current topics just so he could talk with folks about things that had their attention. Your favorite singer/athlete/actor/actress's latest scandal or foolish tweet? Politics? Science or health related topics? The latest technological developments? He'd be armed with information so that he could discuss it with you. I think it was an amazing effort to put in.
Although my primary concern is for his wife and son, I'm also fighting my selfish desire for more time with my friend. I thought we'd have the next 20+ years for those 3 hour phone calls. His diabetes was affecting his vision in recent years and he was planning for the day when he'd no longer be able to see. He had a whole plan including playing the drums - which I'm sure his wife was really looking forward to . . . I joked that when that time came, perhaps he'd finally appreciate our calls as much as I did. I'm already missing those hours on the phone. The loss of a friend like him is exactly the kind of thing I'd want his advice on.
In any case, apologies for the long post but I thought that some of you might be interested to hear more about how one of quieter/humbler people in our midst was actually one of the most amazing.
-David
"Help, help, I'm being repressed!"