To the Vogt family,My deepest condolences for your loss. My heart goes out to you.Ed and Irma were wonderful to me. As a teenager in Lansing, I was able to watch your parents and my parents interact, and I was fortunate to meet all of you. While we haven't seen one another for quite some time, I want you to know how special your parents were to me. Please indulge me in some of the moments I will never forget.Playing bridge at the cottage. When our parents played, you could hear a pin drop. Ruthless competitors.Except that Irma would giggle. She had that wonderful laugh that was contagious. And she usually laughed when she and Ed had the goods on Terri and Fred, which I think was more often than not.I had the privilege of fishing with Ed for a dozen or so trips to Montana with my dad and my buddies. And a few trips to the Au Sable in Michigan on top of that. First, due in part to the trauma my dad experienced losing some people close to him in WWII, having a friend was difficult for my dad. But Ed and Fred were friends. Dear friends. But you would have never known it by the bickering between the two of them. It was a sight to see. Montana became the Ed and Fred show. They loved nothing more than carousing West Yellowstone to shoot the breeze with the purveyors at the fly fishing shops. Finding out which bug was hatching and where. What the water temperature was (Ed more than Fred was always into the more technical details which did nothing but exasperate Fred) and what size fly we should be using. They spent a whole lot more time talking about fishing than fishing, but that was their way.They were a joy together. They wouldn't have even had to audition for the parts of Walter Matthau and Jack Lemon in Grumpy Old Men. They lived it.And when it came to making dinner, that was funny. Fred and Ed could not have survived without Terri and Irma. And since their wives weren't in Montana with us, my buddies and I took up the slack and did the cooking. Ed liked that.And when it came to poker and politics, well that was when Ed drew the line. I will never forget that big fist pounding the table when some wayward card or untoward political comment would get him riled up.And for all of that pounding on the table and his imposing stature, Ed was one of the sweetest and kindest men I have met. Giving and caring. Building relationships and the wonderful dinner bell that brought everyone together at the cottage. And his beautiful, wry smile. A wonderful person with joy in his heart and a heart of gold. I treasure the time we were able to spend together.While Ed and Irma meant a lot to me, they meant the world to my parents. It has been just over 20 years since my dad passed. I really can't explain to you how important Ed was to my dad – suffice it to say that he touched a chord in my dad that was untouched by anyone else. And while I will always appreciate Ed for the man he was and the joy of our experiences together, I will always be most grateful for the friend he was to my father.My dear Mom misses Irma and Ed so much. She loves them so. Wishing you peace,Randy (Fred jr.) RandallAs suggested the Randall family will make a donation to the Alzheimer's foundation in Ed's honor.
