Ali Riza Touba

Ali Riza Touba, age 100, passed away on November 11, 2025, after a wonderful long life.

Ali was born on April 25, 1925, in Tabriz, Iran. After World War II ended, Ali boarded a ship and arrived in the United States without speaking a word of English. He initially went to Kentucky to Berea College where he studied agricultural science (and learned English), but later completed a Masters' degree at Rutgers University in 1952 and a Ph.D. in Food Technology from the University of Illinois in 1956. He worked as a food scientist at General Foods and Tronchemics in New Jersey before joining General Mills in Minneapolis, MN, in 1966. At General Mills, he significantly contributed to the development of numerous products, the most famous of which is the fruit rollup. He holds 8 patents. From 1973-1999, he and his family lived in Mound, MN, on the shores of Lake Minnetonka . Ali loved the views of the lake from his home and on his drive to work. He was a very dependable and loving father. He enjoyed traveling and took his family to visit all 50 states and many foreign countries. He retired from General Mills in 1986. In retirement, he pursued his hobby of trading stocks and enjoyed taking time every day for swimming, sauna, and exercise. From 1999 to 2015, he and his wife were snow birds spending winters at their house in Sun City, Georgetown, TX, and summers at their condo in Wayzata, MN. Since 2015, they have been residents of 7500 York in Edina, MN.

Ali is survived by his wife, Ase; daughter, Somboleh ("Sandy"); son, Morteza ("Matt"); son, Nur (wife Martha); daughter, Siv (husband Walter); granddaughter, Amanda; grandson, Seth; granddaughter, Rosalie; and grandson, Boaz ("Bo").

A funeral will be held at Woodale Church in Eden Prairie, MN, on December 8 at 11 a.m.