Ed's final event on Earth was spent peacefully with his adoring family at his side on Friday, Dec. 14th, 2012. He was and will always be deeply cherished by his wife Linda, the love of his life. He also was and will always be dearly loved and admired by his three sons, Sean (Sara), Geoff, and Corey, in whom his pride and joy was immense. Ed was the loving son of the late Edward G. and Sarah LaFleur of Beaver Dam, WI. In addition to being survived by his wife and three sons, he is also survived by his loving and caring sisters Sally (Bob) Schneider and Mary Jane Mixon. Ed is further survived by many, many relatives and friends. Ed was one of the most respected and popular teachers at Cudahy Senior High School where he taught world history and German for 35 years from 1966 to 2001. He began teaching at Cudahy after receiving his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh , and he went on to earn his Master's Degree at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. As a world history teacher, Ed used a generous amount of humor mixed with dramatic and often overlooked historical events - handpicked from his extensive knowledge of reading history books - to relate to and inspire his students, and earn the nickname, "The Johnny Carson of World History." Ed also displayed the same ability to relate to and inspire his students in his German classes where he used humor along with an ability to weave in events and places from daily experience, like reciting the week's sports scores in German, or taking classes to lunch at Mader's in Milwaukee to converse in German at the famous restaurant. Since his first several years as a teacher, anywhere Ed found himself in Milwaukee - and sometimes even beyond - students would excitedly approach him and recall how much enjoyment they had in his classes. Ed also was the co-coach - with good friend and fellow teacher Bob Algrin - of the boys and girls tennis teams at Cudahy. Ed was extremely proud that during the 1990s some of his players were selected to participate in the state championships in Madison. Not only was Ed a longtime teacher of world history and German, he was also a lifelong student. From his early teenage years to his last days, he was always learning something new about European history, German or other languages. One of his greatest pleasures was finding a new book to read about the subjects he loved, and settling into a comfortable rocking chair with it. Like his love for world history, Ed's favorite interests were not just pastimes, but inspiring passions that made life rich and more worthwhile. He loved Summerfest and attended it nearly every year since it began. He enjoyed many kinds of music, especially classical, jazz fusion and classic rock. He savored a great cigar and often would relax with a "stogie" and a beer as he rocked in his lawn chair on the back patio at home. When it came to beer, Ed was a true connoisseur. He fell in love with German and other import beer before it was widely popular. From then on he not only swore by them, but would champion them, often playfully scolding others for choosing American light beer. He enjoyed losing himself in bike rides on his beloved Peugeot touring bike in Whitnall Park while pretending he was riding through the Swiss Alps. He loved the faraway landscapes of Bavaria and Switzerland and visited them multiple times. Closer to home, he adored the beaches of Florida, especially Miami Beach, and had traveled there on many occasions. He also treasured simply living in Wisconsin, and as he got older, came to appreciate its pretty rural landscapes, the friendliness of its people, and its close-knit sense of community. It was Ed's interest in athletics – as a player and fan – that was another huge love of his life. A naturally gifted athlete, Ed played baseball, football and tennis during junior high and high school. He became an excellent tennis player, and he was very proud of his accomplishments with his Wisconsin State League teams. Ed was also a huge fan of many sports, especially tennis, hockey and football. The two teams he loved most were as dear to him as anything in life. One was the Montreal Canadiens, which featured one of his idols, Guy LaFleur. The other was the Wisconsin Badgers football team, which he followed his whole life and became a joyous obsession to him. His pride in the Badgers knew no bounds. He attended many home and away games over the years and came to own countless Badger shirts, sweatshirts, caps and jackets, and even had the Badgers' "action W" tattooed on the top of his hand. When people asked why he chose that spot, he would tell them he did it so people could see it all the time. Ed was extremely proud that he had attended some of the most hallowed grounds of his favorite sports – the U.S. Open in New York City, the Forum of the Montreal Canadiens, and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Ed's personality was extremely charismatic largely because of his kind, curious and playful nature. Not only was this evident in how his students were quickly drawn to him, but how he could seemingly endear himself to strangers so quickly - by picking up on a foreign accent and asking if he could guess where that person was from, or spotting the logo of one of his favorite sports teams on passersby and letting them know he, too, was a fan. Ed's kindness and generosity was also evident in his desire to often help others, whether it was the many students he gave advice to over the decades, or simply taking the time during the holidays to deliver food to the poor, or help push a disabled person's wheelchair up a hill. Some of the other shining lights of Ed's personality were his loyalty, honesty, strong will, humility, and integrity. But his brightest light of all was his sense of humor. He worked masterfully in all forms of it. Whether goofy or deadpan, sarcastic or erudite, wit came effortlessly to him, and he used all of his experiences in life as a canvas to constantly come up with gentle and silly quips that made those around him not only smile, but want to stay close to him. In his last months, he was most proud that, despite ill health limiting his activity and restricting his diet from the sweet foods he craved, he vowed he would never give up his sense of humor. He never did. The family would like to thank Dr. J. Chapman and Dr. F. Sanchez who diligently cared for Ed over the past nine years. A most heartfelt thank you is extended to Cardiologists Dr. T. Palmer, Dr. Burns and Dr. Zarling. A special thank you is given to Heart Surgeon Dr. S. Schlidt and his Family Nurse Practitioner Rachel and EP physician Dr. V and associates. This entire team tirelessly strived to give Ed a little more of life's precious time. To the ICU staff of Waukesha Memorial Hospital and those departments who cared for Ed and his family over the months, thank you for your compassion. A celebration of Ed's life will be held at the Hartson Funeral Home on Wednesday, January 9, 2013 between 5-8pm with a special toast to Ed at 6:30pm. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the American Cancer Society or the Heart Association of America would be greatly appreciated.