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EDWARD STEHLE Obituary
Relatives and friends are invited to Memorial Gathering in Celebration of Ed's Life, Saturday, Oct.26 (1-4 P.M.) at Gwynedd Friends Meeting, 1101 Dekalb Pike (corner of Sumneytown Pike and Rt. 202), in North Wales, PA 19454. A graduate of CDHS (1957-61) and LaSalle College (1961-66, pre-med), Ed spent his storied career in education as a gifted teacher of biology and a spirited colleague (and senior delegate) at North Catholic H.S. (27 yrs.), and subsequently as a full-time staff member (10 yrs.) and ongoing contract negotiator for the Association of Catholic Teachers (ACT). In honor of his legacy of integrity and impassioned devotion to truth, manifest to all in his legendary wit and wisdom, and displayed with tenacious clarity (and sense of humor) in the cauldrons of debate, scholarship donations in Ed's name may be made to the ACT Education Fund, 1700 Sansom St., Suite 903, Phila. PA 19103.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for EDWARD STEHLE
Mike Wallace
March 11, 2025
I met Ed at North Catholic and we became good friends for many years while I lived in Philadelphia and then in New York. During my long career in education (37 years) in nine different districts I worked with hundreds of teachers. Ed was one of the 2-3 best teachers I know. He was smart, committed to his students’ success in learning biology and important values in life. His humor was poignant and his ideas about learning were clever. I remember one way he started his class in biology by asking the students if the earth revolved around the sun. The students would say yes. Then he would say what he saw namely the sun rising in the east in the morning and setting the west in the evening after crossing through the sky. Then he’d ask how did the students know otherwise. They would claim they read it in a book or someone told them. At that point Ed had their attention about scientific learning and who to trust and why getting evidence matters. Brilliant!
Ed was a dear friend who I could talk with during hard times and laugh with during many good times. I truly miss him and think of him often.
Mike Wallace
Michael Dougherty
August 30, 2023
Humble, hysterical,relatable and brilliant. Loved having him at North and still think of him often. Just an incredible person
Michael Dougherty
August 30, 2022
My favorite high school teacher at North. Just a genuinely funny man. RIP Mr Stehle
Dolly Ketterer
August 30, 2020
While dealing with our restraints during this pandemic, I often think of Ed’s ability to deal with the limitations caused by his illness. He continued to embrace life and was an incredible inspiration. Wish he were here to advise us.
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Mike Dougherty
October 28, 2013
Dolly
Thank you so much for sharing what made Mr Stehle so special. He was my biology teacher as a sophomore at North and even at that young age, I recognized he was a unique and special person. Though it had been many years since we have spoken, I was genuinely saddened when I learned of his passing. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts. I sense that he was very lucky to have had you as well.
Dolly Ketterer
October 27, 2013
Hello, I am Dolly Ketterer, also known as Dolly Stehle and Dolly Peachey in my checkered past. Ed and I fell in love and married as we entered adulthood. We grew up and continued to grow together for five decades.
After we divorced his mom, Ruth Stehle, who is the family matriarch, continued to spend most holidays with me. That meant the Stehle clan was also there. Even when Eddie was out of town and I remarried, I spent very few holidays without Ed. Since he became more seriously ill, I slept at his place at night and usually spent three to five other hours with him each day. This makes it very difficult to narrow what to share today..
Ed was a great father - hands-on and very involved in all of our son's life. He was so protective at first that I was concerned he would't allow Eddie to walk. He worried that Eddie would fall every time he let go of the playpen. Although I assured him that we were wired to fall, and get up repeatedly before walking, he suffered through the experience. However, Eddie did walk and Ed did find a way to cope with the fact that his son would survive mistakes and learn to cope with them.
His sensitivity was impressive in all of his interactions. I never saw him angry at anyone. That is pretty impressive for 17 years of marriage with someone like me. He could get pretty worked up at the forecasters on Fox news, to the point where it interfered with his breathing. Still, I could not convince him to stop watching, and anger at someone on television somehow does not seem to count.
He never did things that hurt people's feelings. I am tempted to say not intentionally, but he intentionally worked to understand people well enough to avoid hurting them.
That is something that I would love to have learned from him, but never approached perfecting. I thought it was about his respect for his fellow man, but have recently discovered another clue. One of the recent morning rituals Ed and I had was a daily reading from a book called “A Year with Rilke.” He became unhappy with some of the poems. Eventually I read them and shared only the ones he would like.The book offers a poem or piece of writing for each day of the year. He did not live long enough to hear this, but for me the words capture his essence.
Only someone who is ready for everything, who excludes nothing, even the most incomprehensible, will live the relationship with another as something alive.
He was not so kind only because he accepted everyone. It was also because he embraced his world. He had an incredible hunger for life.
When very sick and spending most of his day on medications ( he took over 20, some more than once a day), he could give you a long list of things he looked forward to.
Another of our temporary morning rituals, perhaps begun around Thanksgiving, was to share something we were thankful for from the day before. He always had trouble narrowing to one thing. The man just loved life.
ED may have accepted Rilke's incomprehensible, but he never stopped working to understand. He had an incredible mind that was always in analysis mode. We regularly watched news together. When an issue arose that hinged on an interpretation of the law, he got out his pocket constitution, read me the law and we tried to interpret together. He offered to buy me a copy of the constitution, but I preferred to have him read it to me. I didn't think it would be as much fun without him. Now I am realizing that so may things will not. But he has influenced me and enriched my life so that I am thankful to have had those fifty years.
September 9, 2013
I still have a copy of the cassette tape ‘The Cooney Clan' in memory of Edna Cooney Peachey, words & music by Ed Stehle. And I'm pretty sure I have a picture of Ed at one of the Cooney Family reunions. I remember it was always fun & interesting talking to Ed. My thoughts & prayers are with the Stehle family and his friends. Kathy Cooney
Bill and Bette Askins
September 7, 2013
Our deepest sympathies to the family and to Ed's brother and mother especially.
Mike Dougherty
September 7, 2013
Just an awesome dude. I graduated from North in 1974 and still think of him often. He used to take me to the North soccer games after school and he had an increidble sense of humor and an enthusiasm for life that was just infectious. Rest in peace Mr Stehle. You made a difference.
Tom White
September 7, 2013
Mr. Stehle was one of the bright lights at North Catholic. He brought both wisdom and humanity to the classroom every day. My condolences to the Stehle family and his friends.
- Tom White, Class of 1972
September 6, 2013
I've always been grateful for the time management skills he taught me as a sophomore at North in 1979. These are skills I continue to use to this very day. God Bless and Rest in Peace.
Giacomo Reggente
September 5, 2013
A great and inspiring teacher! '83
kitty stehle
September 5, 2013
my childhood cousin and best friend on rosalie st in philadelphia.we were roller skating champs in the summer and made the winter olympics on wintry nights with our american flyers. there are few heroes today but you are mine. lol cousin kitty
Norman Neuman
September 5, 2013
I will always remember the great fun we had as children. There was never more exciting news in our family then when we heard that you, Bernie, and Judy were coming for a visit. There are so many wonderful memories. Your sense of humor, your laughter,your kindness, and keen intellect will never be forgotten. It is such a shame that we lived so far away from each other as adults. I pray you are at rest and that you are at the right hand of God looking down upon us with a huge smile on your face(gentle laughter) as we continue to struggle with our day to day activities. God Bless You and may perpetual light shine upon you. Your Cousin, Norm (Butch) Neuman.
Steve Corrigan
September 5, 2013
Mr. Stehle was one of the nicest and best teachers I had at North Catholic. May he now find Eternal Rest in the loving arms of Christ, the Teacher. Thank you Mr. Stehle! NECHS - '73
September 5, 2013
I had Mr. Stehle during the 1990-1991 school year for Biology. He always brought the energy every day and helped shape my major in college. Tenui Nec Dimittam! Joe Semet, Class of 1993 NC
Erika Witt
September 5, 2013
One definition of humor is "to laugh inspite of it all." You, my friend, did that better than anyone I know.
September 5, 2013
Wished we could have met and shared family info.
Your cousin,
Maria Birtwistle Schlichtig.
john rydzewski
September 5, 2013
I remember Mr. Stehle from North. My condolences to the family. Class of 85
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