Individual Details

Elwell, Edwin Shedd Jr. of Minneapolis, died peacefully on February 22, 2008. His wife, Ellen, preceded him in death. He is survived by two daughters, Eleanor (Robert Zeff) and Priscilla (Richard Miller); and one son, Edwin "Ted" III (Joan Budne); six grandchildren, Daniel, Andrew (Maria), Naomi (Craig Cohen) and Priscilla Zeff; Lita (Mike Lemieux) and Rachel Elwell; two great-grandsons, Nicolas and Alexander Zeff; his caretaker, Janet Kruse and two exchange students, Margaret Thomas and Alvaro Mello. Edwin "Shedd" was born in Minneapolis on July 10, 1916 during the great white shark attack on the East Coast. Shedd's grandfather, James Tallmadge Elwell was a State Senator and author of the Elwell Law concerning improvements and assessment of property in Minneapolis. His father, Edwin Shedd Elwell, a lawyer and the founder of the Northland Milk and Ice Cream Company, and his mother, Veda Hope Loomis, a master gardener, both graduated from the University of Minnesota. Shedd grew up in Minneapolis. He graduated from The Blake School in 1935, and Harvard in 1939 majoring in Latin American History. He married Ellen Johnson in August 1941 and entered Harvard Business School. With the outbreak of World War II, he returned to Minnesota to enlist in the Army. In 1945, he served with the 77th Infantry Division (the Statue of Liberty Division) in the Army of Occupation in Japan. After several years with artillery and communications, he ultimately reached the rank of Captain. Finishing the service, he joined the Northland Milk Company becoming President before he was forty and joining the Young President's Organization (YPO). His three children all graduated from Northrop and Blake schools. He strongly supported the education of his children and later his grandchildren. Shedd participated in many civic activities, including Rotary Club and the Ham and Eggs Club, and he enjoyed sports and music events. He helped start the boys' basketball team at Blake in 1935 and has continued to support The Blake Schools. He enjoyed the symphony and hunting with his dogs and supported Ducks Unlimited and the Nature Conservancy. For many years he had season tickets to the U. of M. football games and to the Minnesota Vikings. He was a longtime member of the Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, and the Encampment Forest Association near Two Harbors, Minnesota. He continued his love of history throughout his life, visiting most Civil War battlefields and was a member of the Twin Cities Civil War Round Table. He and Ellen traveled extensively, including trips to Timbuktu and also to China, where he witnessed the Beijing Tieneman Square Uprising in 1989. His family and friends will miss his wry humor, his amazing memory, his wonderful kindness and gentle character. Memorial Service at 3:00 PM Friday, February 29, 2008 at the Minikahda Club, 3205 Excelsior Boulevard. Donations may be sent to the Nature Conservancy, 1-800-628-6860. GILL BROTHERS Minneapolis Chapel 612-861-6088
Published on February 24, 2008

Birth	10 Jul 1916
Death	22 Feb 2008	Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota
Obituary	26 Feb 2008	Saint Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota
Burial		Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota

Spouse	Ellen Louisa Johnson (1918 - 2004)
Child	Eleanor Louisa Elwell (1943 - )
Child	Living
Child	Living

Notes