H. Quick Obituary

H. Edward "Ed" Quick, Jr., 85, died peacefully on August 24, 2025 at the home he shared with his son in Germantown, Maryland, from complications of pancreatic cancer.

Ed was born on November 17, 1939, in Wichita, Kansas, the first son of Christine Aspy Quick, a homemaker, and Harold E. Quick, Sr., a shoe salesman. Nicknamed "The Professor" as a 6'4", pipe-smoking teen at Wichita North High School, Ed went on to study philosophy at Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kansas. There he met Colleen Mathews, who would become his wife of 56 years. The newlyweds moved to St. Louis where Ed earned a master's degree in philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis and nearly completed his doctoral work in political science, but set it aside when Senator Thomas F. Eagleton of Missouri recruited him to Washington.

For more than two decades on Capitol Hill, Ed was the discreet, diligent aide who ensured that legislation moved forward and constituents felt heard. He joined Eagleton's Senate staff in 1969 after volunteering on his first campaign and soon became one of the Senator's most trusted advisers. Regarded for encyclopedic knowledge of state politics and indispensable constituent work, Ed was known as "the third senator from Missouri," while avoiding the spotlight himself. He rose to become Eagleton's administrative assistant and later legislative director to Senator David Pryor of Arkansas. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush appointed him to the U.S. Postal Rate Commission, where his command of postal policy and reputation for fairness won bipartisan support.

In 2005, Ed and Colleen settled in Lawrence, Kansas, where he pursued his civic interests into retirement. He organized programming at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics; volunteered on local, state and federal campaigns; served as Chairman of the Douglas County Democratic Party; and modestly delighted in his responsibilities as jury foreman on a murder trial.

Beyond politics, Ed found joy in small eccentricities: his pencil collection sharpened and carefully arranged in rows; his personalized license plates referencing Russian literary classics; his signature style (dark sunglasses, brimmed hats, walking sticks and Pendleton flannels). As a daily reader of both the obituary section and the newspaper's list of celebrity birthdays, Ed would be pleased to share that his death-date coincides with the birthdays of: historian-activist Howard Zinn; droll British entertainer Stephen Fry; and "Iron Man" Cal Ripken, Jr., baseball's most loyal and dependable player.

Ed's quirks were matched by intellectual rigor and acts of unheralded generosity. He was a Cub Scout Denmaster, longtime Meals on Wheels volunteer, adult literacy tutor and active in the PTA. He coordinated outreach programs for the homeless and taught Sunday school at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church in Washington. In Lawrence, he volunteered for the library's annual book sale (though partly to secure early access to books, CDs and cassettes of his choice, which he devoured and then distributed in curated stacks to family and friends). For years, Ed quietly purchased and delivered cases of diapers to local charities, office supplies to campaigns, and bread to the food pantry-100 loaves at a time.

A lifelong learner, Ed maintained his voracious appetite for reading and discourse. He continued classes at the University of Kansas into his eighties and attended online seminars several times a week until his final days. He was active in discussion groups on politics, medical ethics, grief support, and Latin studies, and was a fixture in more than one book club.

Ed persisted despite his lifelong struggle with depression and, what he considered the most significant event of his life, the death of his son, Teddy, who died of leukemia in 1979, at age 12. He took comfort in scholarship, faith and connection-to his family and the many cherished friendships he nurtured throughout the years.

He cared for Colleen devotedly throughout her neurodegenerative illness, visiting her nightly with ice cream to share and a novel to read aloud, until her death in 2018. In 2024, Ed returned to the Washington area to live with his son, Andy, and daughter-in-law, Maggie, who lovingly ensured that all his Jeopardy!, Criterion Collection and gourmet junk food needs were met.

Ed is survived by his children: Stephen Quick of San Francisco, California, and wife Glenda Swetman; Vanessa Quick of Istanbul, Turkey, and husband Serkan Kutlubay; Andrew T.M. Quick of Germantown, Maryland, and wife Maria Magdalena Serantes; and four grandchildren: T. Max Quick, Coco M. Quick, Ediz "Eddie" Kutlubay, and Constantine Quick. He was predeceased by his parents; brother, Wichita artist David Lee Quick; wife, military medical textbook editor Colleen Mathews Quick; and their eldest son, Edward "Teddy" Quick.

A gathering to celebrate Ed's life will be held on Sunday, October 5, 2025 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at Kentlands Mansion, 320 Kent Square Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20878. Condolences for the family may be sent to [email protected].

In recognition of Ed's enduring commitment to democratic participation, memorial contributions may be directed to the Southern Poverty Law Center for their efforts to combat voter suppression. www.splcenter.org