Theodore "Ted" Vessey

1938 - 2025

Northfield - Ted Vessey, age 87, passed away peacefully and painlessly on Thursday evening, August 28, 2025 at Trinity Care Center in Farmington.

Theodore Alan Vessey was born June 16, 1938, in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Alan and Evelyn (Marsh) Vessey. He grew up on the west shore of Lake Johanna, a great place for a kid to grow up, especially one who liked to play hockey. He only first played on an indoor rink in junior high. Ted learned his lifelong interest in gardening from his grandfather, who lived with the family and gardened a vacant lot across the street, providing bouquets of beautiful flowers for the local nursing home. He was an Eagle Scout at age 14. Because of redistricting, Ted attended St. Paul Central and Alexander Ramsay High Schools before becoming part of the inaugural class of Mounds View High School. As president of the student council, Ted chose the school colors and mascot, the Mustangs. He lettered in football, hockey, baseball, and golf, graduating in 1956.

Ted won a scholarship to Wesleyan University in Connecticut, but heard the call of the Midwest and returned to attend the University of Minnesota in his sophomore year. In 1960, he graduated with a double major of Math and Physics and was immediately offered a teaching assistant position, which he accepted. At a party in the river bluff caves of St. Paul, Ted met Marguerite Edith Thorpe and the two had their first date at a U of M hockey game two days later. They married on January 9, 1965, at Calvary Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.

In 1966, Ted completed his Ph.D. and the family moved to Milwaukee where Ted taught at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. In 1970, they returned to Minnesota when Ted took a position with St. Olaf College as Professor of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science. For much of his time at St. Olaf he was the department chair and helped shape the St. Olaf math department into one of the strongest in the country. Ted had a deep love for teaching. It was important to him to show the relevance and the beauty of mathematics. While there, he earned the Mathematical Association of America's prestigious North Central Section Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics. He held visiting appointments at the Naval Postgraduate School, Stanford University, the University of Lund (Sweden), East China Normal University (Shanghai), the University of Virginia, the University of Massachusetts, and Chiang Mai University (Thailand). He coached the college's alpine ski team for 12 years, led the college's Term in Asia program in 1993, and in 1981co-founded the Northfield Soccer Association. Ted retired in 2005 and taught part-time at Carleton College for the next six years.

Survivors include his wife of 60 years Margie; his sons David (Mara Naselli) of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and James (Saranya) of Northfield; four grandchildren Ike, Gabriel, Benno, and Maya; other family members; and friends. He was preceded in death by his brother Ralph.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00PM, on Sunday September 7, 2025, at Bethel Lutheran Church in Northfield. Visitation will begin at 1:00PM and a reception will follow the service. Interment will be in Oaklawn Cemetery.

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