Edo Joseph Vanni
April 2, 1918 - April 30, 2007
Obituary
Edo Joseph Vanni
Edo Joseph Vanni passed away on April 30, 2007 at the age of 89. Born April 2, 1918 in Black Diamond, Washington to Raffaello and Esterina Vanni, immigrants from Garfagnana, Italy. Edo was proud of his Italian heritage.
Edo grew up in the Black Diamond area and later his family moved to Queen Anne where he attended Mercer School, Warren Ave. School and graduated from Queen Anne High School in 1937, where he excelled in football and baseball.
His passion for sports sent him to the University of Washington where he was a freshman kicker and quarterback for the Husky football team. During the spring of his freshman year, he signed with the Seattle Rainier Baseball team, along with his friend Fred Hutchinson. This Rainier team won the Pacific Coast Championship in 1939, 1940 and 1941. He continued to play with the Rainiers until the start of World War II, where he proudly served with the US Navy. In 1947, he married Margaret Torfason of Vancouver, Canada.
He continued his successful baseball career for many years – with the Rainiers, Seattle Angels and Seattle Pilots. He loved baseball until the end: listening to every game on TV or radio. He could easily recall games he had played in and entertained us with great stories all his life.
Our family wishes to thank Pacific Regent Bellevue for their wonderful care of Edo, and especially Dr. John Peterson of the Seattle Heart Clinic.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Margaret, daughter Joanne Sam Furgason, son Edo Janice Vanni and three special grandchildren: Lauren Furgason, Michael Furgason and Olivia Vanni. He will be greatly missed.
Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, May 5, 2007 at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church, 8524 – 8th Ave. NE, Seattle. Donations in Edo’s name can be made to: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. J5-200, PO Box 19024, Seattle, WA 98109. To sign Edo’s guestbook, please click on "sign Guestbook" above.
To The Family of Mr. Edo Joseph Vanni
I would like to express my deepest sympathy to each of you. Although we are not acquainted with one another, we are acquainted with the pain when our loved ones fall asleep in death.
Our Heavenly Father feels the pain that you are going through. When he created the first Man and Woman it was his purpose that they and their offspring including us live forever without the effects of sickness and death.
His purpose has not changed for he promises that the day is soon to come in which he will wipe away the tears of sorrow from our eyes forever and death will be no more.
He promises too that your loved ones, my loved ones and many others will hear his voice and come out of the memorial tombs graves.
Edo was a very close and dear friend of the late Bill and John Gasperetti. Our family sends condolensces to the Vanni family on the passing of a remarkable man and friend to many.
Bill Gasperetti Jr.
My condolences to you Joanne and all of your family. I was saddened to learn of your Dad’s death through TV and my parents. My Dad always had such great Edo Vanni stories from “the old days.” I’d love to get in touch with you and hope you will email me at pbarber@osd.wednet.edu.
Patty Yellam Barber UW Tri Delta
On behalf of Edo Vanni’s family, I would like to express our thank you and appreciation of support from friends and family in memory of my dad, Edo. He was a huge presence in our daily family life and we miss him so much already. It is difficult for us to believe that “the ballgame is over” for him. He left us with wonderful memories that always bring a smile. As he said: he lived three lives in one, and died with no regrets. Family and baseball were his life. We love you and miss you, Dad. Joanne & family
On behalf of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research, we express our condolence to the Vanni family. We were blessed to have Edo appear at our national convention in Seattle in June 2006, participating on our Pacific Coast League panel discussion. Edo’s trademark enthusiasm, vigor and sharp commentary helped make the panel one of the convention highlights. Edo lives on in our hearts, and will forever be a treasure to the Seattle baseball community.
I am sorry to be unable to attend Edo’s funeral mass. Edo was my friend and classmate at Queen Anne High School…we knew each other very well, and I was proud to know him. We have always shared a great love of baseball. I cherish my memories of Edo. God bless his memory.
Paul Lorentz
To Margaret and the family: Although much has been said about Edo and baseball, we’d like to remember him as our friend and neighbor. You might remember us as the couple across the street in QA with the gold Mercedes that we always parked in front of your house until we moved to Gig Harbor a few years back. We still smile when we think back on Edo’s offer to keep on eye on Cindy’s car to make nobody would scratch it or how Edo would tell the construction workers working on the three townhouses across the street as to what they were doing right or wrong. It was always a pleasure to just chat with Edo on the street and discuss the topic of the day. Those are wonderful memories which we will always treasure. Please accept our condolences on your, and our, loss.
Edo jr. I was sorry to hear of your father’s passing..
Gerry Stempson and I still get together for lunch and occasionly your’s and Pelligrini’s name comes up.
It sounds like your Dad had a great life. He is to be envied.. I hope to do as well. Steverat city gym Martin
I grew up playing baseball with George, Edo’s nephew, and spent many hours at their home on Queen Anne. Edo’s name was always mentioned. He was always, to me, Queen Anne High’s most illustrious graduate. One time George showed me a scrapbook on Edo, kept I believe by Edo and Bruno’s Mother. It was such an impressive project, with articles on Edo’s illustrious baseball career. Of course, he did much beyond playing baseball, and his life was incredibly rich. My condolences to all his great, extended family. Those of us still on Queen Anne have lost our greatest resident.
Don Lorentz
One of the finest examples of Queen Anne grads. Mr. Baseball for the Seattle area. We are fortunate to have some of his memories and thoughts on the Seattle Rainiers on video at the Musuem of History and Industry. He was the staunch supporter of baseball locally and a good man. I will miss seeing him at the Queen Anne Men’s annual luncheon. “Warren Kids” will salute his life and memory wherever they are! Edo and Hutch are back together now, playing baseball in the next level! kim
I just wanted to express my sincere sympathies on the passing of Edo. As a boy, growing up in West Seattle, I was a big Rainiers fan and in my world, Edo was as big a hero as any of the players of that era on the national stage. Later, through a friendship with Joanne, I had the opportunity to meet Edo. He and his family were always welcoming and kind, and I have always been glad I was given the opportunity to meet at least one of my childhood heroes. He will be missed.
Dear Edo,
Our sympathies and condolences to the extended Vanni family on the passing of your dad.
I always so enjoyed his stories and reminiscences on the radio and in the local papers on the great game of baseball. It was, indeed, very, very good to him and he for it.
He was a true Seattle classic.
Sincerely,
Don and Maureen DeWeese
Ido, you and I have walked a million miles, wearing out the concrete on Aloha Street. Our friendship and conversations will never end.Thank you for your encouragement to keep walking.
God’s great blessings to your wonderful family.
My father, Ira Scribner and Edo were part of the Rainiers Team.
My father and Edo were great friends and stayed in touch until my
father passed away three years ago. It seems like I knew him from all the pictures of the team that I have. I just had to express my sadness at his passing. They were the greatest athletes of their time.
Dear Family,
We send our condolences on the passing of Edo. We knew Edo through his life-long friendship with fellow ball player Bob Hornig Shari’s dad. In fact, Edo attended Bob’s funeral 4 years ago. Edo was a gentleman and contributed so much in his career. He will be sorely missed.
Sincerely,
Shari Hornig-Morrison, Dick Morrison, and Ruth Hornig
THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS MANY THANKS FOR FOND MEMORIES OF A TRUE CREDIT TO OUR COMMUNITY AND ALL HE TOUCHED.
Seattle will miss Edo Vanni! I am sorry I will be unable to attend the service.
Paul
Edo was a passionate, kind and humble person. We should all aspire to emulate him. I feel fortunate for the times we were able to get together to talk about baseball and life.