UPDATE

A memorial mass for Ed Kingston will be held on Saturday, October 22nd at 10 am at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in West Seattle (4202 SW Genesee Street, Seattle WA 98116). After mass, all are welcome for a reception celebrating Ed’s life in Holy Rosary’s Lanigan Gym.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund for the family has been set up at Sound Community Bank. Contributions can be made at http://www.edkingston.com/

Google Map:
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On Saturday, October 8, Ed Kingston died suddenly doing what he loved, spending time with his young son on a soccer field. Ed left behind his wife, Laura, son, Jack, 7, and daughter, Reese, 2. West Seattle and other Seattle area communities have stepped up to be there for the Kingstons.

Laura recalls her courtship with Ed, and what made him a remarkable husband, father, friend, teacher, and coach. Two of her close friends, Debbie Petrusa and Karen Schrantz, both of West Seattle, helped support Laura during this interview.

Ed Kingston was born in Montana, but spent much of his childhood in England, where his father, an American, served in the Air Force. His mother is British. He learned to play soccer there. Laura said that Ed returned at age 7 with an English accent.

"He had to go to speech therapy during PE class and learn to say 'turtle' because he couldn't say his 'R''s with his accent,'" she said.

LAURA MEETS ED IN HIGH SCHOOL

"I first saw Ed when I was a junior in the drama room and I noticed him right off the bat," she recalled of their days at Washington High School in Parkland, south of Tacoma. "He was wearing sweats. I said, 'I hate those sweats' but I couldn't get my mind off of him. I joined the drama club so we could be in plays together. He had a girlfriend but I didn't care. I'd make him brownies and hand them to him right in front of her.

"We never dated then," she said. "He was loyal and would never break up with his girlfriend. We stayed friends through college. He went to Western up in Bellingham. I was at PLU (Pacific Lutheran University) in Tacoma. In the summer of '95 I went up to visit. We met just as friends but totally hit it off. We got these drinks and were dancing to Paul Simon. It was the stupidest music to dance to. It was so white, 'Slip Sliding Away' and the song was just about everything going away. But we kissed and it was awesome. It was like a movie kiss.

"That September we got engaged, and were married a year later," she said. "It was out 15-year anniversary yesterday (OCT 12). I just remember being irritated that I found the one I was supposed to marry really young, but it kind of makes sense now. We understood each other, and shared a similar approach to life. We were both idealists. We wanted to go after life. We went and got our masters. He went on to get his doctorate in Boston. We made a point to go for it no matter how crazy things were, or the sacrifices. He was much more that way than I was. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be as confident with who I am now."

Laura is an English teacher at South Seattle Community College.

ED, THE SPORTS PSYCHOLOGIST

"His doctorate was in education with a focus on sports psychology," said Laura. "He was a psychology instructor, then worked with teens in high school. He taught high school for a lot of years. He had a lot of students at Kentwood High School (in Covington), and before that, Washington High School, where we attended. Sports psychology is what he loved to do.

"There are trainers to help you train your muscles to help get you stronger, physically, and he was on the mental side of that," she said. "'How do you stay tough when you are on that 24th mile of the marathon?' He got teams to learn about the process, not the outcome, and taught that it was a cohesive, mental game. He loved that 'Rudy' movie that I think is a little sappy. He is a big Irish, Notre Dame fan, and I think you have to believe in miracles if you're a Notre Dame fan.

"Ed was pretty transparent," Laura recalled. "He came across as this easy going guy but at heart he was very driven. I think what he'd done in the very short amount of time when he was here showed that drive, but at the end of the day he wanted to be in the moment.

"He was constantly balancing this drive to make his life for his family as good as possible. I had no doubts about his love for me or his priority for his family. He worked so hard (professionally) but also worked really hard to make sure that he was working for a purpose. We talked about that a lot. I feel like this last two years we started to balance the work and enjoying the fruits of our labors, the kids, our family, doing the things we enjoyed.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

"The last four days the community and people who have come out and supported us, and I feel like I am held up, lifted, by everybody," she said. "No one is leaving me alone. People are making it very clear, whatever I need they will be there. I know that community will take care of us for a very long time. I'm getting calls from people I haven't talked to in years. My Facebook and email are overwhelmed with love. People are writing on Ed's Facebook page, too. I can show this to Jack and Reese when they get older.

"Instead of shying away and avoiding it, the community has chosen instead to embrace what they can do to help," she said. "It's incredibly brave, and says so much about who Ed was."

You can contribute online at http://www.edkingston.com/. You can also contribute to the fund at any of the branch locations http://www.soundcb.com/home/cu/loc or through the mail at the bank’s main location:

Sound Community Bank
Attn: Ed Kingston Memorial Fund
2005 5th Ave, Suite 200 Seattle, WA 98121

Details about Ed's service will be shared soon.

Laura said she would be pleased if others viewed this video linked here which captures the joy-filled Ed Kingston (in the gray shirt at left) cheering at the Celtic Swell on Alki, June 23, 2010, as USA beat Algeria by kicking a last-minute goal during the World Cup.