Ella Sturgis Pillsbury Crosby

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Crosby, Ella Sturgis Pillsbury 96, passed away quietly on January 8, 2012 in Wayzata, bringing to a close a life rich with Minnesota history and civic responsibility. She was the oldest daughter of Eleanor Lawler and John Sargent Pillsbury. Of six siblings, she is survived only by her youngest brother, George Pillsbury of Wayzata. She was the center of her family and felt family traditions were important including hosting an annual Christmas gathering for more than 60 years. She always had a warm smile and thoughtful questions to ask of anyone who greeted her. Her wit and intelligence were paired with a wonderful sense of humor that made her both approachable and well respected throughout the Twin Cities community. Crosby was very active in community affairs. She was a groundbreaker in her work for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and was one of the first women to serve on its Board of Trustees. Crosby was a member of the Friends of the Institute for most of her life and when she served as president she opened up membership to the general public of what had been an exclusive group. She was the MIA benefactor who in 1998 donated the Chinese guardian lions for its original 24th Street entrance. Crosby often rose to leadership positions in her volunteer work, which include being a director of Steven's Square, a nursing home for women, and president of the Lake Minnetonka Garden Club. In the 1970s she organized a national convention of the Garden Club of America in Minneapolis. She also volunteered for the Minneapolis Hearing Society and the Society of the Blind. During World War II she became a nurse's aide for the Red Cross. Ella was born October 11, 1915, the same year the MIA's museum was completed. She lived a block away from it in a house that had been owned by her grandfather, Charles A. Pillsbury, the founder of the C. A. Pillsbury Company. It is a part of family lore that her father won the house from his twin brother in a coin toss. When she was five her parents built Southways, a complex on Lake Minnetonka, as their summer home which the family in the 1930's moved into year around. Crosby's sense of community stemmed from both sides of her family. Her great uncle was John S. Pillsbury, a governor of Minnesota and honored as the "Father of the University of Minnesota" for his help in getting the fledgling institution off the ground. On her mother's side, her great-grandfather was General Samuel Sturgis, a veteran of the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. The town of Sturgis, South Dakota, is named after him; one of his sons was killed along with General Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. She studied at the Northrop Collegiate School for Girls in Minneapolis, and graduated from Foxcroft School in Virginia. She subsequently served on the Board of Trustees of both schools. Her schooling was rounded out at Vassar College. She left college early to get married to Thomas Manville Crosby, whose grandfather John Crosby was a partner in the Washburn Crosby Company (the namesake of WCCO radio and TV), which later became General Mills. Tom Crosby, who died in 1988, worked at General Mills until becoming in 1961 a founder and the first CEO of what is now know as Northwest Equity Partners. The Crosbys built a house on a farm in Long Lake to raise their six children. She instilled in them the same sense of purpose and activity she had inherited. She practiced what she preached. She was active throughout her life in swimming, tennis and skiing, activities which she enjoyed well into her 80s. Ella liked to travel with family and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Tom Crosby, and is remembered by her six children - all of whom remained in Minnesota - Tom Crosby Jr. (Ellie), David Crosby (Kitty), Eleanor Winston (Fred), Mary Dolan, Lucy Mitchell (Robert) and Robert Crosby (Teri) and along with 20 grandchildren and 28 great- grandchildren as well as her good friend Gus Morrison. The family appreciates the care given to Ella in her later years by Becky Frederick, Sheri Andrews, Jenny Brown, Karen Buendorf, Deb Greer, Julie Harper-Wylie, Jeanne Holland and Kelly Jacques. A memorial service will be held at 3:30 PM on January 21, 2012 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis. Memorials to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts or to Westminster Presbyterian Church are preferred in lieu of flowers.

Published on January 10, 2012