I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to respond, and to those who suggested it was the throttle body blades sticking, you nailed it dead.
I gave it a cleaning...with the help of my daughter who was able to fit her hands in there a little better than I, and take off is now as smooth as new. Whew, a sticky pedal is a pain when towing or in the winter!
With your alls' permission, I'll pose another question...
Is there any relationship to my rear view mirror (the little light that helps dim the mirror when brights hit it) the compass, and the cruise control....All don't work. I've triple checked all fuses against the owners manual and I'm going to try and catch a fellow down the street who has a van like mine (2000 E-150) just to see if his fuse locations match mine...
Thanks again
john