Ed Klein, who went from the financial world to teaching high school, died at St. Joseph Hospital on Jan. 25. He was 55 and had suffered from longtime medical problems.
He collapsed in the classroom in October and never returned to class.
Klein taught math at Eaglecrest High School in Centennial for 11 years and was a favorite among students, said former colleague Erich Gott.
Services for Klein will be private.
Klein was an entertaining teacher, Gott said, using humor and analogies, hanging decorative rugs in the classroom and once even wearing a Darth Vader mask.
“He had a sophisticated sense of humor, which not everyone understood,” Gott said.
Gott and others also remember Klein for his generosity. He helped friends and family with household projects or built things himself for friends.
“If you ever said you needed something, it showed up the next day,” said Gott.
One of Klein’s last wishes was that contributions go to Ryan Boette, a 2010 Eaglecrest graduate who is suffering from cancer. (They can be sent to the Ryan Boette Fund, in care of Eaglecrest High School, 5100 S. Picadilly St., Centennial, CO 80015.)
Edmund C. Klein was born in San Francisco on Feb. 16, 1955. He earned a degree in economics from Stanford University. It was there he met Melanie Patton, whom he married June 14, 1977.
Klein studied film at the University of Southern California, wrote several screenplays (none of which was produced) and had an “encyclopedic knowledge” of classic films, the family said. But his collection didn’t grow because he gave away so many, said his wife.
Klein worked in the financial industry for several years, owning a business called Rep Prep, which provided securities-licensure training. He wrote several securities-training textbooks.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Danielle Sokol of Stafford, Va., and Laura Klein of Goodyear, Ariz; two grandchildren; four sisters; and a brother.
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Virginia Culver: 303-954-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com
