Edward James Wolfe Jr

Edward James Wolfe Jr.
October 14, 1977 - December 16, 2024
Edward James Wolfe Jr. died on December 16th, 2024, he was 47. Known as Mr. Wolfe to many, Ed or Eddie to some, and Big Ed, Eddie-O, or Zodiac to a select few. He was a son, a grandson, a teacher, a coach, a brother, a nephew, and a wonderful soul to all who knew him.
Born in Fort Huachuca to Sylvia and Edward Sr., he spent much of his life in Sierra Vista, attending Village Meadows and Joyce Clark Middle School (then Sierra Vista Middle School) during his formative years.
In high school, Ed turned himself into a prolific varsity athlete who became one of the finest men to ever play basketball at Buena. A regional figure in a way, he was a skilled and graceful big man who possessed deft footwork along and the feathery shooting touch of a guard. Ed was truly ahead of his time and while on the court, he never ran down the floor; he simply glided. After graduating high school in 1996, Ed signed to play for Coach Jerry Carrillo at Cochise College, where he continued to flourish as a student and an athlete. In 1998, he became the first basketball player out of Cochise College to sign a Division I scholarship, choosing to finish his collegiate basketball career at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. Through discipline and esprit de corps, he had worked himself into, as Fitzgerald once said, "one of those men who reach such acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything after savors of anti-climax."
During his time in L.A., living on the curve of the pacific coast, he was scarcely more varied and free; and he truly seemed at his happiest when the days had slipped past him at the speed of a blink.
Upon returning to Arizona, he decided to complete his degree in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University and return to Sierra Vista where he blossomed into a beloved teacher and coach, becoming a pillar to his family and to the larger community. One never knows another in life or even in death and no cascade of words will ever capture what his presence meant to the many lives he touched. His taciturn demeanor belied an incredible knowledge, humor, and insight. He was loath to use profanity or set a bad example, and he had no real vices. He was, as they say, a "legitimate good guy" who, often without acknowledgement or fanfare, cared for all those around him.
One has to imagine he is now somewhere with his grandfather Bob, who, map in hand, is giving him directions to the nearest pearly gate. He is survived by his mother, Sylvia; his father, Edward Sr.; his uncle, Robert; his brother, Anthony; and his grandmother, Connie.
Well then, amid the condolences and praise that will surely follow, one can only offer the following: We once had the privilege to know a man named Ed Wolfe Jr. who was the fine and fascinating measure of a human soul. Everything after, including these very words, today seems like useless and unimportant commentary.
Be free, Ed. Be free.
A Memorial Service was held December 28th, at 11 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The family would also like to acknowledge the many words, prayers, and acts of kindness that have flowed in since Mr. Wolfe's passing.

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