Carl R. Pohlad

Pohlad, Carl R. Carl R. Pohlad, an extraordinary husband, father and business entrepreneur, passed away peacefully at home in Edina on January 5, and joined his beloved wife of 56 years, Eloise O'Rourke Pohlad, who passed away in 2003. Carl was a born entrepreneur who combined a strong intuition, keen understanding of people, intense work ethic and abundant patience, to become one of the country's most successful business owners. He was revered by his employees and respected by business colleagues and friends around the country and the world. Despite his success, Carl always described himself as a "regular guy," treating people from all walks of life with respect, retaining a soft spot for the little guy, and never forgetting his humble beginnings. He was born in Valley Junction, Iowa on August 23, 1915. Carl's father was employed as a railroad brakeman and was often away, so Carl and his siblings worked hard to help their mother make ends meet. Only an average student, Carl excelled as an athlete and attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington on a football scholarship. But his entrepreneurial skills were already coming to the fore and he left college after his senior football season and moved to Dubuque, Iowa to become a partner in the Federal Discount Corporation (FDC), which operated loan offices in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. In 1942, Carl's career was interrupted when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He fought in France, Germany and Austria, and was awarded two Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts. After the war, Carl returned to Dubuque and in 1946 met Eloise O'Rourke on a blind date at an Iowa-Minnesota football game. It was love at first sight and the couple married the next year. In 1952 the couple moved to Minneapolis and three years later, Carl was named president of Marquette National Bank. For the next 50 years, while the couple had and raised three boys, Carl built a business empire that would encompass banking, bottling, baseball and much more. Today the Pohlad family of businesses employs more than 3,000 people in more than 20 businesses across the United States. In addition, the Pohlad Family Foundations, established with Eloise in 1994, have given more than $100 million to community charities. Carl was a highly skilled entrepreneur and master dealmaker who loved business and maintained his love of simple pleasures -- fresh garden produce, baseball, or a good book before bedtime. In addition to Eloise, Carl was preceded in death by his mother, Mary Pohlad Kiefer, and father, Michael Pohlad; as well as 6 of his 7 siblings, Helen Stotesbery Quinn, Frances, Velma Urbain, Harold, Dorothy Dolphin and Joan Erickson. Carl is survived by their three boys, Jim, Bob and Bill, daughters-in-law, Donna, Becky and Michelle; grandchildren, Tom (and wife Lindsay), Joe, Chris, Allie, Charlie, Kiki and Oliver Pohlad, all of Minneapolis; sister, Jean White, and many nieces and nephews. Carl also is survived by the many business colleagues and friends and countless small business owners who realized their dreams, in part, because Carl enjoyed helping them and provided advice and resources when others refused. Services will be held at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis Thursday, January 8 at 1 p.m. Memorials are preferred to Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, University of Minnesota Foundation—Carl and Eloise Endowed Scholarship Fund, Mayo Clinic, Park Nicollet Foundation, the Minnesota Twins Community Fund or a charity of the donor's choice. For addresses of the charities listed above, visit www.pohladfamilyfoundation.org.
This obituary was originally published in the Star Tribune.