Edward G. Sommerlath III

Edward George Sommerlath III (“Ed”, “Dad”, “Big Ed”, “Uncle Ed”, “EGS”, “Mr. S”, “Papa”) passed away at his home in Stilwell, Kansas, on April 12, 2022. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 10, 1945, to parents Edward and Lorine, he is survived by Susan, his wife of 56 years, his brother David, his children Ann (Michael) Pizzi and Jane (Timothy) Chapman, and his grandchildren Joey, Matthew, Jack, Tommy, Eloise and Finn.

Ed had a personality to fit his 6’ 5” frame, and his presence could fill a room. Friends remember him as the “gentle giant.” He was gregarious and funny, with a big smile, a big laugh, and a big heart. Ed worked as hard at working as he did at playing. Whatever Ed did, he gave it 100%. He loved a good time and was always the life of the party. He was loyal to friends, honest in business, and loved his family more than anything. From grammar school through college and beyond, he forged strong, lasting and loyal friendships that lasted throughout his life.

Ed grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. As a student at Conway School he joined the Boy Scouts and took up horseback riding. He spent his spare time at the stables and eventually began showing roadster ponies, a hobby he pursued for many years. While attending Ladue Horton Watkins High School, he earned the nickname “Uncle Ed,” was a member of the basketball and track teams, and was known to sneak off campus for lunch hidden in the back of a ‘56 Chevy.

Next up for Ed was the University of Kansas, where three life-changing events took place: he pledged a fraternity, Delta Tau Delta; he developed a deep and abiding love of Jayhawk basketball; and, during Spring of his sophomore year, he met Susan, a beautiful, petite Gamma Phi Beta from Kansas City. The two were married at Christmas their junior year.

Upon Ed’s graduation from KU, he and Susan moved to St. Louis. Ed owned a car wash, where he learned to run a business and gained an appreciation for expensive cars. Within a couple of years, he joined his father in the family business - Sommerlath, Inc. - and became a manufacturer’s representative, traveling throughout the Midwest. Younger brother David joined a few years later.

Not long after the couple had started their new life, Ed lost his high school best friend to the Vietnam War. Within a few short years, he lost his father to a heart attack - leaving Ed to run the company.

Despite assuming considerable responsibility at a young age, Ed knew how to have a good time. One Halloween he and Susan went to a costume party as two well-known characters - with a twist. Susan wore an impish green tunic as Peter Pan. Ed carried a wand, donned pink long johns, pink satin slippers, a rather large tutu and a yarn wig. Enter Tinkerbell, who became a fixture on the trick-or-treat circuit in both St. Louis and Kansas City for decades to come.

Ed and Susan raised Ann and Jane (whom Ed affectionately referred to, throughout their lives, as “boys” - as in “Hey, boys, how we doin’?”) in an idyllic suburban St. Louis neighborhood where they quickly bonded with other young couples whose children were the same ages as the girls. With Ed on the road so much, those neighbors became like family.

Though Ed traveled quite a bit (when the CB radio came into fashion in the ‘70s, he aptly adopted the handle “The Peddler”), he attended as many of the girls’ concerts, recitals and other activities as he could. Ed was also supporting of Susan when she and a friend opened a quilt shop. He worked hard to make sure Susan, Ann and Jane knew he loved them.

Ed was able to relax and unwind at his beloved Lake of the Ozarks, where the family spent more weekends than not. Nothing made him happier than running the boat at full throttle, blasting 8-track tapes of ABBA, Crystal Gayle, Jim Croce or the Oak Ridge Boys on the stereo. Over the years, Ed and Susan welcomed many of Ann’s and Jane’s friends to their home at the Lake, where Susan fed them all “Lake Dip” and Ed patiently taught more of them than you could count how to water ski.

Protective of Susan, Ann and Jane, Ed could be imposing - but those who earned his trust were treated like family. Any friend of the girls’ was a friend of Ed’s. He had a natural ability to relate to people, and an uncanny knack for untangling complex problems with the simplest of solutions. Under his guidance a good old-fashioned “pro” / “con” chart helped Ann and Jane (and several of their friends) navigate tricky situations.

Ed saw life in black and white and, true to his German background, kept meticulous records of literally everything: How much he spent on each of the girls (there are rumors of a mysterious ledger in which he kept track of every penny ever spent on either of them). When to get a haircut (every three months, no sooner). When to replace a dress shirt (dates were written on the inside front placket - if a threadbare shirt wasn’t at its expiration date, it would continue to be worn until it was time to retire it). Car mileage to the tenth of a mile (this didn’t work out so well for either Ann or Jane in college, as they were both “caught” driving cars when they shouldn’t have been).

Nonetheless, Ed was quick to smile and laughed easily. He was a prankster and could be a button-pusher in the name of fun. He would try to embarrass Ann every chance he got. (It worked.) He messed up Jane’s stuffed animals, arranged on her bed “just so”, to see if he could get a rise out of her. (He did.) He took Jane to spy on Ann at her Junior Prom. He enjoyed scaring Jane and friends during sleepovers and delighted in their squeals of terror.

When Ann and Jane were students at KU, Ed was the life of the party. Anytime he went to Lawrence, you could count on finding him smack in the middle of a crowd of their friends at Johnny’s or The Wheel, buying beers for everyone. Few things brought him more joy than spending time with his girls.

One Thanksgiving, a friend of the girls’ - who was the University of Kansas mascot - showed up at the door dressed in the official Jayhawk costume. Ed got such a kick out of it that after a few drinks “Big Jay” was in the back of the Bronco being driven from door to door and plied with more cocktails than he could handle. It’s doubtful that bird has had as much fun since.

Ed’s love of KU ran deep. He delighted in rituals and traditions. He derived as much pleasure from speaking with his Delt brother before, during and after every single Jayhawk basketball game as he did in placing a $5 wager with one of his high school pals on the annual Kansas-Mizzou game.

In 1993, Ed and Susan moved to Kansas and built a beautiful home in Stilwell. Jane and Tim chose to raise their family nearby, and Ed took great joy in watching his grandsons grow. Given his affection for basketball, he was especially excited to see their superior abilities on the court and had a keen interest in their continued development.

As a result of Ed’s and Susan’s deep desire to be part of his grandson’s lives, as well as Ed’s strong affinity for the Catholic faith, Ed and Susan converted to Catholicism when they were 60. This would serve to provide great spiritual comfort to Ed in the years to come. In fact, due to his failing health, the last two trips Ed ever took were to New York so he and Susan could be present for each of Ann’s and Mike’s children’s First Communion.

Perhaps his acceptance of Catholicism stirred a sensitivity in Ed that hadn’t been as evident before. Later in life it was not unusual for him to be moved to tears by moments of seeming insignificance. He truly appreciated his good fortune and took nothing for granted.

It is fitting that in this Easter season of renewal we celebrate a life well-lived, a man much-loved and a spiritual rebirth, not only during Ed’s time here on earth but also now that he is at peace in heaven. He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by those he loved.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to your local chapter of the American Heart Association or the charity of your choice.