The Issue: The death of Jean Stapleton, who played Edith Bunker in the 1970s sitcom “All in the Family.”

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I was saddened to hear of the passing of actress Jean Stapleton, best known for her iconic role as Edith Bunker on the ground-breaking sitcom, “All in the Family” (“Edith Bunker’s Place,” Editorial, June 4).

Growing up in a house where baseball loyalties were evenly divided between the Yankees and Mets, we were never more of a family than when we huddled up and watched “All in the Family.”

When it was on, the phone came off the hook and pets were isolated so that there would be no distractions when Archie was going off on one of his hilarious rants. Stapleton was always in the middle of it, compounding the humor.

It is widely believed that “I Love Lucy,” “The Honeymooners” and “Seinfeld” are the funniest, most enduring sitcoms ever produced. But the first four seasons of “All in the Family” were comedy at its best.

Eugene Dunn

Medford

For a “dingbat,” Edith proved to be a truly remarkable woman. She kept her bigoted, stubborn and loud-mouthed husband Archie in line, which was no easy task. She helped resolve family arguments and disputes, often being the sensible voice of reason.

Stapleton’s portrayal of Edith was indeed a role model for wives and mothers the world over.

Kenneth Zimmerman

Huntington Beach, Calif.