Ed Luedke at USA Volleyball National Championships, June 1-3, 2001
Ed was not feeling his best when the volleyball nationals rolled around. But his good friend Brucer (Bruce Blumberg) kept him on the roster, and Ed was determined to show up. Ed had been a regular on the team for several years, and making an appearance at the nationals was an important statement that cancer would not keep him from his favorite things.

So he and Renee packed up and met the team for part of the two-week tournament. No one was sure if Ed would actually get onto the court. But Ed taped down the chemo tube in his chest, pulled on his jersey and got out there for some real playing time-- to the cheers of his friends and teammates.

Ed’s love for volleyball was a lifetime thing. He was a starting middle blocker on a state champion team at El Camino College, was unbeatable on the Amgen volleyball tournaments, rated a AA in beach doubles, and played in open tournaments against legendary top pros including Randy Stoklos and Singin Smith. He was a regular at the Manhattan Open 6-man beach tourneys, the Manhattan Beach indoor league and Westside tournaments.

Ed’s awesome blocking and hitting, and his competitive fire oncourt is sorely missed by many people. Check out the touching letter and artwork from Alera Micek, daughter of Ed’s former Amgen teammate Virginia Micek. This letter was written about a year into Ed's illness.