On July 17, 2024, at age 85, John peacefully took his last breath at home with his wife of over 60 years by his side. John valiantly battled cancer for over 10 years, with his Mayo Clinic Oncology team referring to him as “a warrior” and his hospice team calling him “an anomaly”. We are comforted knowing that he was called home and greeted with open arms by his mother, childhood best friend, Bob, and first boss/mentor, Ed.
Born May 21, 1939, in Estherville, IA, to Francis and Emma, John rose from humble beginnings to become a successful businessman in the Twin Cities. John loved to make a deal! Whether buying or selling, John was shrewd negotiator. Combining this with his strong work ethic, competitive nature and determination enabled him to build Clover Super Foods where he enjoyed decades of distributing dairy products including several contracts through the Minnesota State Fair. John’s last venture was building his cheesecake/dessert company, Royalston Foods.
In his spare time, John enjoyed spending time with his family, watching endless hours of Fox news and dominating the family marble game, jitterbug. John cherished his grandchildren and grew closer to his family in his retirement years.
John is survived by his wife Diana; children Daniel, Patrick (Anita), Paula (Patrick) Wahl, and Amy (Jason) Martin; grandchildren Adam and Carley (Kev) O’Connor, Carmen, Jack, Jeff (Erin), Alison (Joe), Cassie, and Elizabeth Wahl, Jada O’Connor, and Madeline and Carl Martin; along with extended family and friends.
A Celebration of John’s Life will be held 2 p.m., Sunday, August 11, 2024, at The Cremation Society of Minnesota (Edina Chapel) 7110 France Ave South, Edina, MN 55435. *Please bring a story to share.*
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Children’s MN Foundation online at www.childrensmn.org/giving (after entering amount, select “I’m making my gift in honor of someone” followed by John’s name) or checks sent to Children’s Minnesota Foundation Attn: Tribute Gifts 5901 Lincoln Drive Mailstop: CBC-3-FOUN Edina, MN 55436. (John’s name can be keyed into the memo area of the check).
