Ed Luedke, Ph.D.
12/4/58 - 7/2/02

Ed’s tenacity in fighting colon cancer, from the day he was diagnosed to the day he passed away two and a half years later, was no surprise to those who knew and loved Big Ed. He had always been an intensely enthusiastic individual with a strong spirit, whether at play or work. His passion for life and people won him the respect of colleagues and the loyalty of lifelong friends.

Ed grew up in Torrance, California with his parents Ed, Sr. and Rochelle, and his sister Karen. In the early days, he played ditch-em and “roofball” with his lifelong friends the Martineau boys and Dale Besner. They and Ed’s other buddies ran through secret sewer tunnels, chased frogs at the swamp by Tordondo Little League, fished for Bonita in King Harbor and set off model rockets that occasionally blew up in “totally awesome” explosions. Some favorite family trips were spent in San Felipe, Mexico.

Ed and his friends spent summer vacations bodysurfing at 2nd Street in Hermosa, eating 9-cent sauce sandwiches at Mickey’s deli. He later joined junior lifeguards, and became a star swimmer with his long arms and giant built-in swim fins. He quickly picked up surfing, and enjoyed many classic surf trips with his junior lifeguard buddies at San Onofre. As he grew into his full 6’8” body, Ed discovered volleyball, a lifelong sport at which he excelled. Instead of relying just on his height, he learned the skills and moves of a “short, quick guy.”

Ed’s life began to mirror the “larger than life” dimensions of his body. When he did something, he did it in a big way. When he hiked, he hiked Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in California. And he did the 3 to 5-day hike in one day, with bloody blisters to prove it. When he moved north to become a tree planter in Oregon and Washington, he won a contest with his boss by planting 3,000 trees in ONE DAY. A big thing happened to Ed in Washington, when he was a passenger in a van full of tree planters. Ed was awakened by the van rolling 3 times before being impaled on a tree stump that saved them from going over a cliff.

When Ed decided to go back to college, he did that in a big way too, blasting through his bachelors, masters and a doctorate in pharmacology at the University of California at Santa Barbara. As a research scientist, Ed worked toward cures to illnesses at two of the world’s most prominent companies. He spent several successful years at Merck, a pharmaceutical firm in New Jersey, and Amgen, a biotechnology company in Thousand Oaks, California. Much of Ed’s research was devoted to development of cancer treatments, and some of the projects he worked on are ongoing. Ed also travelled worldwide as part of his work, and was a frequent guest instructor at universities.

Ed has always had a lot going on outside the work laboratories. He worked weekend ski patrol at a Southern California ski area. As part of his medical research Ed made thousands of scuba dives during his annual trips to the Carribean. His love of the ocean and water also included many sailing adventures and fishing trips, including his epic wilderness fishing expeditions in Alaska. He and his buddies were dropped off 200 miles from nowhere and floated down wild rivers, sleeping with elephant rifles since the neighborhood was thick with grizzly bears.

His sailing adventures have included tours in the Virgin Islands, and frequent trips to Catalina Island. On one famous Catalina trip the crew decided to head home after making it less than halfway, due to heavy weather and a sunken dive boat. Everyone was dreadfully seasick, but unlike some who felt too rotten to care, Ed took his turns at the helm and helped bring the ship safely home to King Harbor. Then he helped start the all night poker game that followed.

Ed had a taste for “living large”, an attitude that was unshaken by the devastating illness that finally took his life. The colon cancer was not discovered until it had reached an advanced state, and doctors told him he had just two months to live. Ed defied the odds and survived for two and a half years. And he did more than survive. In spite of his suffering, Ed was determined to stay involved with life, and felt certain that each moment he could enjoy increased his resistance to the cancer.

Some of Ed’s favorite trips and events occurred after he was diagnosed with cancer, and these are featured on this website. Ed had this website created in the summer of 2001 because he wanted others to see that having a serious illness doesn't mean you have to just give up. Ed was an inspiration to anyone facing a daunting challenge. He lived his message-- keep the fire of life burning, and enjoy the precious moments of life as best as you can.

Ed did this even though cancer was never easy for him. For the most part it was an extremely difficult, painful struggle. Fortunately he had a lot of help, and was rarely alone. Throughout his illness Ed’s loved ones, friends and colleagues supported him in many ways. Ed was deeply thankful to all of you, and he recognized your vital role in making his life longer and better.

As much as possible, Ed stayed close with people. Ed and Renee Neerman found each other a year after his diagnosis, and their love blossomed right through his illness. They were engaged to be married, one of the sure signs that Ed had no intention of giving up his will to live. Renee, and Ed’s parents Ed, Sr. and Rochelle, were nothing short of heroic in assisting and being there for Ed. On behalf of Ed’s friends, our thanks and deepest sympathy go out to them, and all of Ed’s family.

Along with the support of his loved ones, Ed’s longevity with cancer was a largely a credit to his determined will to live, and his amazing tolerance for the hardships of his illness. It was also a credit to the medical profession, especially the staff at the USC/Norris Cancer Center, Los Roblos Medical Center and St. John’s Medical Center. In addition, Ed benefited from his own willingness to try nutritional supplements and natural remedies. Ed was not a religious man, but did believe in God and he kept a cross from Mexico on his wall. It was decorated with icons representing miracles attributed to Saint Peregrine, patron saint of cancer.

Ed’s spirituality was the personal, human kind. His was quietly generous and helpful to many, and supported charities he believed in. Had he lived, his wish was to eventually retire from scientific research to do more teaching. Ed also enjoyed his supercharged pickup truck, and had considered starting a business customizing truck engines.

Ed resided in Thousand Oaks, California with his fiancee Renee and his Golden Retriever Zeke. Along with Renee and Zeke, Ed is survived by his parents Ed, Sr. and Rochelle, his sister Karen, her husband Gil and their three boys, Elias, Jacob and Noah.

Ed loved all of his family, and they loved him. The same is true for many other people who were close to Ed. We miss you Big Ed, and we hope wings come in XXL size.

Ed's sister Karen wrote a special poem for her brother. Click here to read it.

If you would like to make a donation on Ed's behalf, please send it to:

USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
1441 Eastlake Avenue, Room 8302
Los Angeles, CA 90033

All dontations should reference "for the research of Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz in memory of Edward S. Luedke" so that they are appropriately applied to his memorial fund.

(This biography and Ed’s website are by Pete Martineau, a close friend of Ed’s for over thirty years.)