Stewart C. Elliott

1930 - 2017

Elliott, Stewart C. Of Waukesha passed away on October 10, 2017, just shy of his 87th birthday. He was born in Illinois but moved to Dousman as a teenager and attended Waukesha High School where he found great friends and great success on the swimming team. He went on to swim at the University of Michigan where he was an All American and captain of the Michigan Swimming team that captured the Big Ten Title and NCAA title in 1952. He met Mary Muller in Ann Arbor and they married after graduation and moved to Wisconsin. In 1957, he purchased a small Ace Hardware store in Elm Grove and, with the help of his sons and employees grew that into four hardware stores in Elm Grove, West Allis, Muskego, and Pewaukee. He stayed actively involved in the stores and enjoyed working in the warehouses into his 80's. He took great joy and pride in his employees and their accomplishments. It was common to have several siblings from the same family working at Ace. It is a testament to him that so many employees remained at the stores from high school through retirement. He loved the outdoors, especially the cabin at Red Cedar Lake and took great delight in spotting wildlife there, going on boat rides, and just walking through the woodlands. He had a terrific sense of humor and was an eternal optimist. Just like his late wife, he had a fondness for dachshund dogs, even adopting a puppy when he was 82 years old. He is survived by his sister Eileen (Helmut Fisher), three children: Kate (Dale Gruen), Stew (Lisa) and Matt (Kelly), nine grandchildren and one dog (Freita). A celebration of his life will be held at the Funeral Home on Friday, November 3rd from 1 PM until the time of memorial service at 3 PM. Followed by a light refreshments and fellowship at the Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the Waukesha Food Pantry or the Hebron House would be appreciated.