Edward Francis Winkler, 74

Edward Francis Winkler was born Nov. 5, 1937, in Chicago, and was a Kalispell area resident for the last 17 years.

In his earlier days Ed grew up on Chicago's south side. He was the son to Francis and Dorothy Winkler and identified himself as predominantly Sicilian. The neighborhood he lived in, however, had a high Polish population at the time and Ed had to face cultural differences every day on his way to school. Fighting on the streets of his neighborhood at that time was common and made Ed a stronger person when he entered Bowen High School in 1951, and fighting as a child seemed to pay off, as he became the star running back at Bowen High School from 1952 to 1955.

While still in high school Ed never went to the gym to lift weights, as he carried 50-pound slabs of meat working for his father, who owned a meat processing company named “Able Meat Company,” which his father named for two reasons, “Able” was for ready, willing and able, and more notably, “Able” came first in the phone book and received more business than other competitors.

Bowen High School was also the place where Ed was bit by the “acting bug,” somewhat of an addiction to Ed, as he became a well-known stage actor in the future communities he would live in later in his life.

His love for football and his neighborhood did not fade after he graduated from high school, as he was again a star running back for a semi-pro team in Chicago and was being actively scouted by the National Football League. His love for his high school sweetheart, however, was stronger and after marrying they celebrated the birth of their first child, Ed Winkler Jr. Soon to follow was Paul, who gave Ed his first grandchild, Ryan.  

Living in Chicago, Ed had several occupations over the years. One such job was an electrician's apprentice for the Illinois Central Railroad. He would later tell of cold winters working underneath the engines and having close calls with both electricity and drivers who didn't know how to use the brakes.

Ed lived in many areas of the United States and transplanted himself to San Diego, to Pacific Beach. One of Ed's many stories was saying how much he loved living in the neighborhood and was always shocked at its current property value. However, he was even more jubilant when he had his third son, Tom.

After moving to southern California, Ed was working at Budget Rent a Car and was very relieved when he received a job working for American Airlines. He would later retire from them after 35 years of service as a baggage handler, the personal stair driver for President Gerald Ford, a ticket agent and everything in between, meeting celebrities from the Rat Pack to Jane Goodall.

People say many positive things about Ed Winkler and one of them was how great a father he was. After getting divorced and gaining custody of his three sons, he soon found out that raising three boys was no easy task but Ed Winkler was no quitter, either. Whether it took shaving everyone’s heads as their “summer haircut” or making sardine sandwiches, he raised them the only way he knew how, with a hug and saying, “Guess what? I love you.” He loved his boys more than anything. Tears would often run down his face when talking about them as children, followed by hearty laughter. He was an American Dad, living the American Dream, his way.   

In 1972, Ed was a researcher in electronics at Southern Illinois University, and was also a radio DJ, excelling to gain the interest of Playboy to scout him out as a DJ for the popular publication.

He became somewhat of a celebrity himself when living in Palm Springs, Calif. Ed had become well known performing in many comedy plays with the “Valley Players” and earned the nickname from a radio DJ as “The King of Comedy.” This was something that did not wear down his thirst for more acting opportunities. It was later, after a performance of “An Almost Perfect Person,” where he met his to-be-second-wife, Elise. She was in the audience and had heard about Ed through a mutual friend. Ed wasted no time to court her and they were soon married in 1980.

With American Airlines giving Ed the chance to work in Chicago again, he, Elise and Tom moved to Antioch, Ill., moving closer to his family in Chicago and closer to Elise's family in Milwaukee. Ed later became the proud father of his fourth son, Louey, in 1982. At this time, Elise was making and showcasing jewelry at Pow Wow's across the country and Ed was proud to show his new son at these events.

1985 was a good year for Ed, as it was the year his beloved Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl and it was also the year he had his fifth and final son, Peter, at the age of 49, while living in Tulsa, Okla. Ed would often joke with Peter and Louey and would sometimes say to Peter, “You know when you were born, we had a choice. A choice between you or a chimpanzee... I should've taken the Chimpanzee. But guess what? I love you.”

With his newfound family Ed was now providing for at an older age, he relocated to Yucca Valley, Calif., a small town just outside of Palm Springs. He spent four years there before transferring again to Gig Harbor, Wash., a suburb of Seattle, where he spent another four years, and finally retired from American Airlines.

Looking for a dry climate to live in due to arthritis in his hands, Ed and Elise found Kalispell in October of 1995. Ed loved the large amounts of snow that year and was looking forward to his retirement. To keep himself busy, Ed would spend time creating stained glass pictures in the garage, continued his love of football by acting on his hobby of 20-plus years of being a high school football referee, as well as acting in many local plays, including Harvey, Arsenic and Old Lace, Light up the Sky, Don't Drink the Water, The Boys Next Door, and Brighton Beach Memoirs, and having coffee with his friend Jim.

While in retirement, Ed continued to work, working at several companies in town, including Semitool, being a beloved substitute teacher at Flathead High School, and after Louey and Peter moved away to college, finding another family of friends at Lowe’s, where he spent his last five years. There he joked with the employees, told his five sons the fun he was having and then would go home and watch the Bears.

Ed Winkler was not an ordinary man, he had the mind and wit of a 27-year-old, he was funny, a man's man, and overall, hard not to love. He had a heart big enough to reach every person in his family, the ethics and morals of a beloved family man and had more love for his wife and children than what most people could ever see displayed in a lifetime. His lessons taught were, “Always see the humor in life, always do the right thing and don't take any guff from anyone.”

“He was more than a man, he was my Father and I will miss him everyday of my life and hope to pass his funny stories and life lessons on to my children someday, and I know and can be confident to say he touched the lives of those around him because he definitely made a deep impact in mine. I love you Dad.”

Edward F. Winkler Sr., was 74 when he passed away due to complications with a swift kidney cancer on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2012.

He is survived by his wife, Elise Winkler; sons, Edward Jr., Paul, Tom, Lou and Peter; sister, Pat Petrungaro of Chicago; grandchildren, Ryan, Teresa, Dana, Audrey, Carli and Travis; great-grandchild, Eva; as well as numerous cousins and close friends in the Chicago area, locally, and on the west coast.

Memorial services are to be held in Palm Springs and will be determined at a later date. For any questions about the memorial service, please contact the Winkler family at edwinklermemorial@gmail.com    

Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for Ed’s family.