Obituary of Sheldon Lee Ekstrom

It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Sheldon Lee Ekstrom on 15 August 2021 at the age of 90. Sheldon was a long-time resident of Roseville, MN.

Sheldon was born 27 September 1930 in St Croix Falls, WI. He was the second of two sons born to Edna Ethel (Reilly) and John Alfred Ekstrom. He grew up in Chisago City, MN, graduating from Chisago City High School in 1948. After graduation he spent a few years working at various jobs in town.

He attended the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities from 1952-1957 and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History Area Study. While in college he was part of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and in the Army ROTC. In September 1957 he was installed as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army. He was stationed at Fort Devon, MA and worked at the Army Security Agency. After 6 months active duty, he left active service as a 1st Lieutenant and remained in the Reserves for many more years. After he left active duty, he took the Queen Elizabeth II ship and went to Europe and toured around Europe on a motorized bicycle for 6 months.

When he returned from Europe, he took the first job he could find which was as a Market Researcher with A.C. Nielsen, Company. While with A.C. Nielsen Company he worked in Chattanooga, TN, Charlotte, SC, Atlanta, GA, St Louis, MO, Chicago, IL, Moorhead, MN and finally St Paul, MN.

Sheldon met his future wife, Marilyn Joy Miller, at a sorority/fraternity exchange in college. They dated for a while and then went their separate ways. After returning from his Army and Europe adventures he was curious as to what happened to Marilyn. He looked her up and the rest is history. They were married 26 June 1960, and moved to Atlanta, GA. They had three sons: Todd Sheldon (born in St Louis), Derek Rick (born in Chicago), and Kent Ritchard (born in St Paul, MN).

The family took many family trips in the family car and traveled to many locations. Sheldon retired in 1994, after 36 years with A.C. Nielsen. He was looking forward to retirement, but after 6 months he was bored and went back to work. He took a couple different part time jobs, but his favorite was as an usher and doorman at the Ordway. Sheldon was a long time member of Prince of Peace Church in Roseville and always enjoyed being an usher at Sunday service.

Through the years he welcomed the arrival of 6 grandchildren and one great grandchild (a second great-grand child was born just two weeks after his death). He enjoyed spending time with family, gardening, cooking, canning, photography, and drawing. Sheldon was a warm compassionate person who always had a smile on his face. He will be greatly missed by all.

He is survived by his wife: Marilyn Ekstrom; 3 sons and daughter-in-laws: Todd Ekstrom (Dawn Duerre), Derek Ekstrom (Stephanie), and Kent Ekstrom (Pam); 6 grandchildren: Haley (Josh) Thill, Ashley (Jake) Lochen, Tara Duerre-Ekstrom, Connor Duerre-Ekstrom, Spencer Ekstrom, and Madyson Ekstrom; and 2 great grandchildren: Waylon and Evelyn. He was preceeded in death by his parents: Edna and Alfred Ekstrom; one brother and sister-in-law: Jean and Don Ekstrom; and one brother-in-law: Al Miller.

In lieu of flowers the family is asking that donations be made to the American Heart Association. www.heart.org/honor.

Services for Sheldon will be held, Saturday, Oct 9th from 1-4 pm at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Roseville, MN. Visitation will be from 1-2 pm, with a memorial Service at 2pm. Following the service guests are welcome to stay to visit further and enjoy dessert and beverages.