Stanley Willard Holmquist

Holmquist Stanley Willard Holmquist, age 93, of Grove City, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on May 15, 2003. Preceded in death by Edith, his beloved wife of 64 years; his sister Edna, and brothers Melvin and Vern. Survived by sons, Willard (Betsy) and Charles (Lanette); daughter, Mary (James) Saboe; grandchildren, Susan (Terry) Dvorak, Jennifer (Jeffrey) Hurd, Alexandra (Timothy) Hoffner, James Anthony Saboe, Lisa Marie Holmquist, and six great grandchildren. Stanley is also survived by his sister, Helen Carlson, brothers, Glen and Charles, brothers & sisters-in-law, Elanor & Elmer L. Andersen, Elsie & Arvid Johnson, many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Stanley was born on August 23, 1909, in Hallock, Minnesota, the son of Victor Holmquist & Hilma Trudsen Holmquist, stepson of Emma Olson Holmquist. He attended Minnesota College, a Lutheran high school, where he met Edith. They both graduated from Minnehaha Academy in 1932 and from the University of Minnesota in 1936. Stanley received his Masters degree in school administration in 1941. Facing depression economics, Stanley was luckily hired in 1936 by the Grove City school system to teach high school math and chemistry. He quickly rose to the position of principal and then superintendent of schools, completing his career in education in 1946. He & Edith had married in 1938 and lived the majority of their long and happy life together in Grove City where they reared their children and built a family business, Holmquist Lumber Company, following Stanley's departure from teaching. In 1946, Stanley sought and won election to the Minnesota House of Representative where he served for four terms. In 1954, Stanley was elected to the Minnesota State Senate where he served for eighteen years; his final leadership position was majority leader of the Senate. He retired from public life in 1972. Among his countless personal, professional, and political accomplishments, Stanley was especially proud of his pioneering efforts to include married women on his Grove City teaching staff, a practice rare before the 1940s. He was also very proud of his strong political commitment to maintaining healthy, well-funded public schools in Minnesota, beginning with service on the Education Committees of both the House and Senate and culminating in his team effort with Governor Wendell Anderson to craft the landmark 1971 State Aid to Education bill known as the "Minnesota Miracle." His family will remember fondly his boundless optimism, his infectious sense of humor, his fierce loyalty to Edith, and their shared pride in their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Already we miss him. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 22nd, at Trinity Lutheran Church on Highway 12 in Grove City. An informal gathering of family and friends will begin at 12:00 p.m. at the church.

Published on May 18, 2003