It is with a heavy heart and great sadness to let you all know that my Dad, Ed Aliverti, passed away peacefully this morning at 5:48.
He fought such a valiant fight. I am so proud of him. I love you Popsicle. You are my hero, today and forever.
Today, take a moment to hug those you love and think back to a time you spent with Dad. I bet you'll smile.
I will post a time and location for his party when that information becomes available.
God bless you all. Thank you for everything.
The Aliverti Family
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I can't believe he is gone from us. So many great memories. Our prayers are with all of the family. Tom&Barb Hawksford
ReplyDeleteEd was a great friend and even better human being. It was his bellows at the Virginia Duals in 1995 that helped make me a wrestling fan and set the course of my career in wrestling.
ReplyDelete"Red, White and Blue, We've GOT A FALL ON TWO!" I will never forget that call.
Ed and Shirley were fixtures at the Virginia Duals and other national events. I never attended NCAA's when he was announcing, but the Duals enough and getting to know Ed were part of what made wrestling great.
One of my best memories of Ed was when I was writing the feature story on him for the 2009 Virginia Duals program. We must have talked for two hours about the Virginia Duals, John Graham's Poquoson accent (where I'm from), announcing, getting the start at the nationals ... just a great person to sit and listen to.
I'll definitely miss Ed, as we all will.
God Bless,
Jason Bryant
Poquoson, Va./Colorado Springs, Colo.
USA Wrestling
Nobody who ever met Ed could forget him -- as an educator, a musician, an MC, a wrestling announcer, an administrator, a friend, a mentor -- he touched thousands of lives. God bless you, Ed, and to the Aliverti family please know our thoughts and prayers are with you.
ReplyDeleteOne of the greats. We were lucky indeed to have Ed in our lives. His voice was that of the real fan. No matter what he said he did so with the conviction needed to command the attention of the audience. Loved? Goes without saying. A cup raised high to a mentor to many and a true friend to the sport. Rest in peace Ed.
ReplyDeleteMuch love to Shirley and the entire Aliverti family.
Scott Casber
TDR
Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Aliverti family.Ed was truly one of a kind and will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him.He was definitely an Ambassador of goodwill not only in Edmonds but throughout the country.He was always willing to lend his talent and support in a variety of ways to help his community.As neighbors for nearly fifty years we'll miss his friendly smile and hearty greetings.God will surely Bless this wonderful man.
ReplyDeleteBoyce & Charlotte Clark
Ed was one of the most genuine, orginal human beings I have ever met. The wrestling world knew his voice, his enthusiastic remarks ("They're gettin' aquainted down on mat number one!)and his singing of the national anthem.
ReplyDeleteBut, what I remember most, was his unique ability to make whoever he was talking with, feel like the most important person in the room. He took a great deal of pride getting to know you and was extremely particular in learning the wrestler's correct pronunciation of their name.
One year at nationals, I was in the hotel getting ready to go and I heard loud singing coming from the room next door. "The bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the.....NIGHT!" It turned out to be Ed's room. He spent as much time getting prepared and warmed up for the competition as the wrestlers did.
I am grateful to be one of the thousands who have been lucky enough to have crossed paths with Ed and will miss his friendship.
God bless,
Jim Makovsky
Minnesota State University Wrestling
Our prayers and thoughts are with you. Being from Washington State we were fortunate to have Ed at many wrestling tournamnets. He would ask "how would his grandmother pronounce his name". He always wanted to get it right even if the coaches could not.
ReplyDeleteOne of my most fond memories is when Ed sang happy birthday to my wife at the regionals wrestling tournament.
Thanks for the dedication to making atheletes (from little kids to Olympians) lives better.
I was fortunate enough to spend a little time with Ed over the years and know that every time we spoke, I left a little happier and wiser. Ed was a great man who went out of his way to say to hi, just because you participated in the sport he loved. At this very moment I can hear Ed's booming voice saying that wrestling was the greatest sport on earth and I am smiling. Every time I think of Ed Aliverti, I will smile, because that is what I did everytime I talked to him. I will miss you Ed, RIP!
ReplyDeleteEd Giese
In this world our lives are measured not by what we accomplish but by who we help, Ed was an exceptional man. He gave to us all with an unselfishness that set him apart. His dedication to detail and performance were reflected in the lives he touched and enriched. "Man's oldest and greatest sport, the sport of amateur wrestling" benifited from his many talents and will miss his contributions greatly.
ReplyDeleteHe could make a match so exciting that other officials and athletes strained to be spectators of that action. He always turned the spotlight on the athletes while he worked his magic from the darkened wings.
I am so honored to call this man and his wife "friends" and to have had the great pleasure of spending many joyous times with them at home and abroad.
Wee will all miss this great man (he leaves a void that no one can fill). To you, the family, please accept our condolences and gratitude for all you have given us the past days with your sharing his "want to live".
I loved this man and will miss him in my life!
May God Bless!
Aliverti family,
ReplyDeleteHow very saddened I am for all of you. I had the pleasure of meeting Ed just once and only for a short time, but he left me with a lasting sense of the joy he found in life. That is how I will remember him. My prayers go out to you all as a family.
Deana Clifton
After witnessing his announcing and singing of the National Anthem at my first NCAA Championships in 1983, I fell in love with Ed Aliverti. My immediate thought was to get him to announce the VA Duals. It happened, and what a ride we had together. He never missed the Duals until his health stopped him from being there, 20 plus years. I looked forward to his and Shirley's visits and especially loved their staying at my home after the event, just to sit by the fire enjoying the company of each another.
ReplyDeleteWrestling was important to both of us and from that relationship, we developed a bond taking us to events all over the world. Chemistry...When it's there you feel it and know it. Ed and I had the chemistry. We were great friends and I will miss him.
I am so glad that Ed and Shirley were able to come to Virginia to be Grand Marshals for the VA Duals in 2009 and that Trish and I were able to visit them last summer in Edmonds.
My thoughts and prayers are with Shirley and the family.
John Graham
Poquoson, VA
Having spent a lifetime around high school wrestling in Washington State I can say I was BLESSED to have heard Ed's voice at many tournaments from small local tourneys to the State Tournament. Watching the Olympic Wrestling and hearing Ed's voice in the background brought a smile to my face and tears of joy! He touched so many hearts, and when my Father was inducted into the Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame and Ed was there having a brief conversation with him was a memorable occasion. We were all blessed to have Ed touch our lives, he will be greatly missed! My thoughts and prayers are with his family.
ReplyDeleteWe are all going to miss that unmistakable voice. Ed was the kind of man that always looked you in the eye and you knew you had his undivided attention, for how ever long it took. He made my high school years the best, as well as later in life when I had questions and no one to turn to, he listened and that in itself made everything I was going through so much easier. Then to see him again this past year and be able to meet his family and then hear him perform has given me another boost in my life. What great people I have been lucky to meet and know if only just a little. I am proud to say that Ed Aliverti was a part of my life, no matter how small to others. My prayers are with you all and I know Ed is smiling down saying sing for me don't cry.
ReplyDeleteKathy Holm Bezold
I am so sorry to hear about Mr. Aliverti's passing. I had the honor of hearing him at numerous wrestling events over the years. His gifts to our sport and young people are beyond simply the power of his magnificent voice. His class, his passion, his caring to get kids' names pronounced correctly, are just a few. In fact, I was coaching at Mat Classic I, and Mr. Aliverti was talking, as he always did, about the "world's oldest and greatest sport". We all had goose bumps. We also had a kid getting ready for a championship match, and we looked over, and the kid was in tears, overwhelmed by the emotion inspired by Mr. Aliverti's soaring words. What a powerful and perfect legacy. He was one of our sport's greatest ambassadors and will be irreplaceable. He has quite literally impacted the lives of thousands and thousands of people, old and young.
ReplyDeleteMay he rest in peace, and may our prayers support his his family during this difficult time.
Jeff Nelson
Fife
Lord Bless and Keep, Strengthen and fortify Shirley and the family, my prayers go with you
ReplyDeleteHenry Sherwood
Dearest Shirley and family, WOW, I can't believe "Uncle Ed' is gone. So many people are remembering the announcer, but he impacted my life as counselor and friend. He spent a lot of time with this young lady in the late 60's, early 70's, who was struggling to find herself because of a tough homelife. He spoke love into my life, when I needed it most. He told me I was worthy and that I was beautiful, talented and that I was going to make it. He restored my confidence and belief in myself. We have continued our friendship over the years and I got to spend a precious couple of hours with him at Starbucks last summer ('08). He seemed truly happy and proud to see a happy, confident woman of GOD sitting before him. He was a jewel , a treasure in my life. I will miss him so very much. I can't be there on Tuesday, cuz I live in California and really afford the trip BUT I will be there in spirit. Thanks for sharing him with us. My love to you, Shirley and "girls" HUGS cher zimmer
ReplyDeleteDear Shirley and clan - Ed was my dad's closest friend, they were friends from the moment they met, two of wrestling's all-time contributors.
ReplyDeleteI met Ed in Edmond, OK, at the 1981 NAIA nationals and shared the joke Dad had on the CSU AD who was worried about somone to sing "The Banner". Dad deadpanned that he had it covered and that was my introduction to Ed's singing voice. I had already watched the consummate professional tour the weigh-in room, asking everyone he didn't already recognize questions like: "is it MarTInez or MartinEZ?" At the 1983 NCAA nationals, he had heard a specific question (when will consolations start) enough times to start telling people that their next question would cost them a quarter. When Dave Martin put up 50 cents so that he could ask two questions, Ed replied "For you, it's a dollar."
When I visited once on business in Seattle, I called Ed and invited him to dinner with our group. Everyone wanted Italian, so I asked Ed where to find a good Italian place. He looked at me, thought a minute and said, "Italian? When I want Italian, I eat at home!" As expected, he found a good place.
If you ever wanted find the definition of a class act, on or off the mat, you never had to look further than Ed and Shirley.
My regards to your family,
David Dellinger
Son of Bob and Doris