Edward M Severson

Edward M. Severson October 8, 1925 - May 20, 2014

Edward Myron Severson October 8, 1925 - May 20, 2014

Edward (Ed) Severson was born on October 8, 1925 in Faribault, MN. His parents were Eddie Albert Severson and Anna Estella (Stella) Hill. His father was a motion picture operator. He had a brother, Wayne, who was seven years older. Stella died when Ed was 5 years old. His father hired a housekeeper, Ann Gretz, and later married her when Ed was 13. Ed joined the Boy Scouts and especially enjoyed hiking and camping. A dog followed Ed home one day and he was allowed to keep him. The dog responded best to the word 'brownie', so 'Brownie' he became.

In 1943 at the age of 18, Ed enlisted in the Navy. He served on the destroyer USS Howorth in the Pacific Theater. The Howorth participated in the bombardment of Iwo Jima. Eight enemy planes off Okinawa attacked the ship. Seven shipmates were killed; the wing of one plane scraped the fantail near Ed's station at a 5-inch gun. He acquired four tattoos while in the Navy; the two on his ankles, Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse, were popular with his grandkids.

After discharge in the spring of 1946, Ed went home to Faribault and met Muriel Blais. They fell in love and were married on October 4, 1947. After a honeymoon to northern Minnesota, Ed returned to Mankato State Teachers College, where they lived at the barracks. The first two of his five children, Jon and Mike, were born in Faribault. Ed managed work, studies and family, graduating with a BS in Elementary Education in 1953. His first teaching job was in Superior, WI where he taught 6th grade. The family grew with the birth of Eddie and Ann - finally a girl!

They moved to Waseca, MN in 1958 where Ed again taught 6th grade. He helped revitalize the Boy Scout program there, becoming a scout leader and introducing his sons to scouting. During the summer of 1960 the family spent a week at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Mary was born that December. For ten years, Ed taught in the summer at

Shattuck School in Faribault. It was a treat for Jon, Mike, and Eddie to stay overnight with him and they remember having a great time.

1963 brought them to Inver Grove Heights where Ed was the principal, first at Salem Hills and then Hilltop Elementary School. The next few years found him balancing school, family, and commuting to graduate classes at Mankato State College. In 1968 Ed completed his Masters in Elementary Education. Ed and Muriel hosted Christa, a foreign exchange student from Switzerland, in 1974. To this day she is their third daughter.

Ed enjoyed canoe trips to the Boundary Waters, first with his children and then grandchildren. He made sure the leaks in 'Old Lead Bottom' were duct-taped for trips. The canoe was so heavy it was son Eddie's job to portage it between lakes. One trip while flicking at a mosquito, Ed's new glasses flew into the lake. After confirming they were lost, he continued paddling; thankfully it was the last day of the trip.

In 1987 Ed and Muriel retired to a home on Bass Lake near Springbrook, WI. Ed enjoyed nature: watching the hummingbirds and feeding the critters - birds, squirrels, raccoons, deer, bears - they all came to the birdfeeders outside the big windows. He especially loved loons. The house was decorated with them and he was a 'Loon Ranger,' making reports to LoonWatch each year. Friends, kids and grandkids filled the lake house in the summer. The day wasn't complete until the dessert-cruise, usually with a grandkid steering the pontoon boat. And Ed loved dessert! In his opinion, all meals should start and end with dessert, especially pie, but leave out the raisins (dead flies he called them).

Ed and Muriel traveled the US attending Howorth reunions hosted by shipmates - as long as they could go by car. Ed avoided flying. Dressed in their Norwegian sweaters, they went to Sons of Norway meetings and annual lutefisk dinners. Ed pursued genealogy, tracking down lost cousins in Norway. Volunteering for the American Birkebiner brought them out in the February cold, handing out oranges and hot chocolate to skiers.

Friday meant 'Fish Fry!' They were well known at the local resorts. Ed flirted with the waitresses - one lady bartender would hand him a Scotch as he walked in the door. When it came to paying, he was always first to grab the bill.

He became a regular at the Spooner Golf Club, walking the 18-hole course, never riding in a cart, leaving the men's league after 2005 when he was 80. To celebrate his 80th birthday, Ed bought a red convertible, having always wanted one, driving with the top down and the heat on.