Edward “Ed” Voss, age 91, of Brillion, passed away peacefully on April 23, 2026.

Ed. was born in Los Angeles, California on February 18, 1935, the 4th of 6 children. Preceded in death by his Parents, three sisters, one brother, and his wife of 57 years, Betty Lue Voss (James), and his eldest son Michael. Survived by his younger brother Joe, and his 8 remaining children, Stephen (Stephanie), Vicki, Timothy (Joyce), Christi (Bob), Mary (Mike), Edward Jr (Tracy), Sandra Beth, and Amy Jo (John), along with 16 grandchildren, and 30 great-grandchildren.

Ed was a devout Christian, regularly attended mass and he was a prayer warrior. His goal in life was to do whatever the Lord was calling him to do at each stage of life, and he did it with gusto. Whether it was volunteering at the annual Church Brat Festival, hosting Christian Family meetings for the church, volunteering to help at the elementary school we attended when asked, or hosting Saturday night pizza-and-pinochle for the clergy, he was always willing and able to help school and church when asked, or just because it sounded like fun!

He was a great help to his wife of 57 years. Not surprising, his specialty was wrangling as many of the kids as possible and making a day of fun at the park, while giving Betty an occasional day off from their rambunctious village of 9 children, with an age gap of less than 11 years from oldest to youngest. But it was his blessings to each of us at bedtime that brought us down to earth and put our minds at rest.

He was a do-it-yourselfer before Home Depot was invented, remodeling almost every room in the family home at least once over the years. He taught the kids how to use and respect tools (sorry about the level, I did not realize that was an actual tool, I was trying to free the bubble). And more importantly, he taught us the value of hard work and instilled in us the work ethic that we all maintain today.

He was a successful small business man, as he transitioned from milkman to distributor, when the dairy exited the home delivery business, and pop purchased a couple routes. This also provided access to Roundy’s Warehouse (as a distributor) before public warehouses like SAMs and Cosco were available. This came in handy for feeding a family of 11, and often more, as they always had room at the table for a hungry soul, neighbors whose house caught fire, foster kids who needed a place to stay, or anyone else less fortunate than us.

He served in our armed forces, twice. First in the army, at Ft Bliss Texas, where the first 4 kids were born. Later, he joined the Air Force Reserves, where he finished his “20” and retired, but not before his youngest joined the same reserve unit. Together, they were able to “see the world” on their Annual Tours, as they filled in for the regulars. Amy Jo has lots of stories to share if you get the chance to ask her.

Pop loved to play a variety of games, and while he was rarely the “best” at any game, he was always good enough to keep the games interesting. Perhaps one reason why he was never the best was because he so strongly rooted for the underdog, and was known to throw a game or two just to let someone else win. That was the kind of heart he had.

Unfortunately, his actual heart had some issues of it’s own, leading to a biventricular pacemaker at an early age, but also leading to some unofficial family reunions over the years. Sometimes he just wanted us all to get together it seemed, and he would take it any way the good Lord would provide it. It did not help that the 9 kids were spread across 5 states at that time.

After the 16 grandchildren were old enough to get to know each other, we shared some family reunions at a point he found “half-way for everyone” someplace in Kansas. I can still see the sign he posted to let us know we were in the right place with the words “If you are a Voss, you are not lost!”. What great memories were made and bonds were formed during those trips.

Pop also made very special birthday cards for most of the great-grand babies. If you see a picture of these fold-out creations, with their special messages and coins, you see what a work of art and labor of love each of these cards were. When he got past the point of remembering the cards, upon seeing one, he asked “who in the world would put that much time into a card?”, and all I could say was “you, of course, and the kids loved each and every one”.

Well done thou good and faithful servant. Say hi to mom, and save a place for us at the table!

A funeral service will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at Holy Family Catholic Church in Brillion. Officiating at the Mass of Christian Burial will be Father Matt Colle. Military Rites will be accorded by the Becker, Bloedorn, Jensen Post 126 of Brillion. Burial will be in the Holy Family Catholic Cemetery.

Friends may call at the church on Saturday morning from 9:00 a.m. until 10:45 a.m.

Online condolences may be made www.pielhop.com