Calvin F. Ells, age 91 of Prior Lake, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Friday, March 17, 2023.
A Time of Gathering will be held in honor of Cal on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, from 4-7 PM at Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home, 4565 Pleasant St SE, Prior Lake. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 AM Thursday, March 30, 2023 at St. Michael Catholic Church with visitation one hour prior. Father Tom Walker will preside. Cal will be laid to rest with full military honors at Fort Snelling National Cemetery at a later date.
On October 16, 1931, parents Earle and Marjolene Ells were blessed with the birth of their first child, Calvin Ferdnen Ells. He and his brother Jerome grew up in Minneapolis, MN. As a young man, Cal loved to fish, play football, and “tear up the town” with his younger brother! He graduated from De Le Salle High School in 1949. Upon graduation, Cal joined the United States Army, and shortly thereafter served in the Korean War.
After leaving the service, Cal came back to the US and worked as a transport auditor for Admiral Merchants Freight. It was through this job that he met Marjorie Cahill- the two quickly became acquainted, and the rest was history: Cal and Marge were married on October 30, 1965, in Bloomington MN. Upon their marriage, Cal was blessed to become a dad to Marge’s 3 sons, Dan, Tom, and Ted. Always a fan of Cadillacs and convertibles, Cal quickly traded his car in for a station wagon to fit the family in on trips to their cabin in Sauk Centre, MN, where countless memories were made.
Cal worked hard, and enjoyed the fruits of his labor- he loved to travel, snowmobile, fish, go out on the pontoon, was a Vikings season ticket holder, and was proud to have the first color TV in the neighborhood! When he wasn’t working or spending time with his family, he liked to stay active by working on his own cars (until the age of 87!), and playing with the neighborhood Card Club.
In 1976, the family bought a home on Prior Lake, and ten years later they built their own home in the Linden Circle neighborhood, complete with a fireplace that Cal loved to tend to. After church on Sunday, it was a family tradition to gather in the living room to watch the Vikings in front of the open fire.
Family was at the core of everything that Cal did. He loved to spend time with them, and always put them first. His quiet humor, twinkle in his eye, and deep love will forever be missed by his sons, Dan Cahill, Tom (Kelley) Cahill, Ted (Tammy) Cahill and their families; and many other relatives and friends.
He is greeted in heaven by his wife of 54 years, Marge; brother, Jerome Ells; and parents, Earle and Marjolene.
