PRESS (OBIT)
ST. LOUIS PARK SUN/SAILOR
http://sailor.mnsun.com/2015/07/28/elliott-royce-leaves-behind-a-memorable-legacy-in-st-louis-park/
July 28, 2015
Elliott Royce Leaves Behind a Memorable Legacy in St. Louis Park
ST. LOUIS PARK SUN/SAILOR
http://sailor.mnsun.com/2015/07/28/elliott-royce-leaves-behind-a-memorable-legacy-in-st-louis-park/
July 28, 2015
Elliott Royce Leaves Behind a Memorable Legacy in St. Louis Park
Elliott Royce, a fixture on St. Louis Park streets and in parades, has died at the age of 96.
He has been a recognizable figure in the city, often wearing unique hats and riding a three-wheeled cycle around town. His Cat-in-the-Hat look is one of his more memorable outfits.
However, Royce left a legacy bigger than his famous red-and-white-striped hat.
Last month, the St. Louis Park Noon Rotary Club awarded him the Gil Braun Community Service Award.
Elliott Royce receives the Gil Braun Community Service Award June 29 from Rod S. Shilkrot, then president of the St. Louis Park Noon Rotary Club. Royce won the award for his extensive community involvement and support and for leading by example. (Submitted photo)“He is extremely generous to various nonprofits, including Doorstep Healthcare Services that provides dental hygiene to seniors, the RockandRead program that helps younger children sing their way to reading, holding classes for elderly people demonstrating how to safely fall and get up and many other projects,” a Rotary Club statement said.
The award is usually presented to someone outside the Rotary Club for his or her contribution, but the club decided to give it to Royce. He had been a member for two years, but “his efforts in the community have been going on for many, many years,” the club noted.
Royce died July 17 after landing in a hospital with pneumonia. His funeral was July 19 at Temple Israel in Minneapolis.
“He is a one-of-a-kind man who is leaving behind him an incredible legacy,” daughter Judy Royce Petel said in a message to people who knew Royce. “We are so proud to call him our father.”
She noted his family members had a chance to hear him tell stories, answer questions and learn from him after his hospitalization.
“It was a life incredibly lived by his own verve and determination and persistence,” daughter Sandie Royce Kaster said of him. “He believed that people achieve things through passion, and he wasn’t embarrassed by it.”
He taught flying in World War II, was active in the Jewish community and in St. Louis Park activities and came up with ingenious solutions to everyday challenges, Kaster said. For example, she recalled that he drilled holes into his glasses to secure his hearing aids after he became tired of losing hearing devices.
As a businessman, he led work on many buildings in Minnesota and owned one of the first computers in the state.
When he could no longer drive, Kaster said, “He sulked for about 5 minutes, and he said, ‘I can figure this out.’”
He learned to navigate public transportation and to use pedal power.
“He looked at problems like a wheel in spokes,” she said. “So he kept coming at a given problem every which way. He hardly ever gave up, and he came up with business ideas until days before he died.”’
Last year, he devised a puzzle involving a ball, a rope and a stick. He sold the idea to an insurance company as a marketing tool.
Most of the money he made in business he gave away, Kaster said.
“He was a whirling dervish but with the biggest heart,” she said.
He put his mind to use on trying to help seniors stay safe after many of his friends suffered from falls. He traveled to Hawaii to study the art of falling safely from an expert. He practiced falling from his bed onto an inflatable mattress.
“He probably did it 30,000 times,” Kaster said.
He promoted safety grab bars in bathrooms and zip lines leading from beds to toilets to help seniors who might be disoriented in the dark at night.
“He was convinced that was the way to be safe, and he wanted to pass that message on,” Kaster said.
He taught classes on safety and had been talking to Park Nicollet staffers about his ideas.
Royce survived two bouts with cancer and understood what others were going through, she indicated.
“He called sick people. He visited sick people,” Kaster said. “My dad got to the human condition. He understood the frailty of it. He really did.”
Despite this understanding, he embraced fun activities, like his regular trips down the water slide at the St. Louis Park Aquatic Park.
He challenged himself by learning musical instruments, learning to jog and juggle, flying on a glider and even using a pogo stick. He built a roller coaster for his children when they were young and enjoyed ice-skating.
“My dad endeavored to move through space every which way he could,” Kaster said. “He just savored life.”
He made balloon animals and enjoyed interacting with kids.
“I think he wanted to connect with people, and he loved children,” Kaster said.
He wore unique clothing because he feared that senior citizens were being marginalized, she said.
“He said I’m going to wear hats with funny things,” she said. “He said, ‘That was a bit of bravado, but I talked to people and I met people, and I was memorable.’”
Since he died, Kaster said stories have been coming in of his kindness, generosity and sense of humor. She said she plans to compile stories for a book on his life. Anecdotes can be sent to [email protected].
With emotion in her voice, Kaster said, “As I said to him on his death bed, I won the lottery.”
(Picture by Bob Friedman.)
He has been a recognizable figure in the city, often wearing unique hats and riding a three-wheeled cycle around town. His Cat-in-the-Hat look is one of his more memorable outfits.
However, Royce left a legacy bigger than his famous red-and-white-striped hat.
Last month, the St. Louis Park Noon Rotary Club awarded him the Gil Braun Community Service Award.
Elliott Royce receives the Gil Braun Community Service Award June 29 from Rod S. Shilkrot, then president of the St. Louis Park Noon Rotary Club. Royce won the award for his extensive community involvement and support and for leading by example. (Submitted photo)“He is extremely generous to various nonprofits, including Doorstep Healthcare Services that provides dental hygiene to seniors, the RockandRead program that helps younger children sing their way to reading, holding classes for elderly people demonstrating how to safely fall and get up and many other projects,” a Rotary Club statement said.
The award is usually presented to someone outside the Rotary Club for his or her contribution, but the club decided to give it to Royce. He had been a member for two years, but “his efforts in the community have been going on for many, many years,” the club noted.
Royce died July 17 after landing in a hospital with pneumonia. His funeral was July 19 at Temple Israel in Minneapolis.
“He is a one-of-a-kind man who is leaving behind him an incredible legacy,” daughter Judy Royce Petel said in a message to people who knew Royce. “We are so proud to call him our father.”
She noted his family members had a chance to hear him tell stories, answer questions and learn from him after his hospitalization.
“It was a life incredibly lived by his own verve and determination and persistence,” daughter Sandie Royce Kaster said of him. “He believed that people achieve things through passion, and he wasn’t embarrassed by it.”
He taught flying in World War II, was active in the Jewish community and in St. Louis Park activities and came up with ingenious solutions to everyday challenges, Kaster said. For example, she recalled that he drilled holes into his glasses to secure his hearing aids after he became tired of losing hearing devices.
As a businessman, he led work on many buildings in Minnesota and owned one of the first computers in the state.
When he could no longer drive, Kaster said, “He sulked for about 5 minutes, and he said, ‘I can figure this out.’”
He learned to navigate public transportation and to use pedal power.
“He looked at problems like a wheel in spokes,” she said. “So he kept coming at a given problem every which way. He hardly ever gave up, and he came up with business ideas until days before he died.”’
Last year, he devised a puzzle involving a ball, a rope and a stick. He sold the idea to an insurance company as a marketing tool.
Most of the money he made in business he gave away, Kaster said.
“He was a whirling dervish but with the biggest heart,” she said.
He put his mind to use on trying to help seniors stay safe after many of his friends suffered from falls. He traveled to Hawaii to study the art of falling safely from an expert. He practiced falling from his bed onto an inflatable mattress.
“He probably did it 30,000 times,” Kaster said.
He promoted safety grab bars in bathrooms and zip lines leading from beds to toilets to help seniors who might be disoriented in the dark at night.
“He was convinced that was the way to be safe, and he wanted to pass that message on,” Kaster said.
He taught classes on safety and had been talking to Park Nicollet staffers about his ideas.
Royce survived two bouts with cancer and understood what others were going through, she indicated.
“He called sick people. He visited sick people,” Kaster said. “My dad got to the human condition. He understood the frailty of it. He really did.”
Despite this understanding, he embraced fun activities, like his regular trips down the water slide at the St. Louis Park Aquatic Park.
He challenged himself by learning musical instruments, learning to jog and juggle, flying on a glider and even using a pogo stick. He built a roller coaster for his children when they were young and enjoyed ice-skating.
“My dad endeavored to move through space every which way he could,” Kaster said. “He just savored life.”
He made balloon animals and enjoyed interacting with kids.
“I think he wanted to connect with people, and he loved children,” Kaster said.
He wore unique clothing because he feared that senior citizens were being marginalized, she said.
“He said I’m going to wear hats with funny things,” she said. “He said, ‘That was a bit of bravado, but I talked to people and I met people, and I was memorable.’”
Since he died, Kaster said stories have been coming in of his kindness, generosity and sense of humor. She said she plans to compile stories for a book on his life. Anecdotes can be sent to [email protected].
With emotion in her voice, Kaster said, “As I said to him on his death bed, I won the lottery.”
(Picture by Bob Friedman.)