John Skogmo born July 15, 1947; died April 4, 2015 of cancer.   From Dan Larson, 4/15/2015: Gerry, In yesterday's tribune, there was a great article about John Skogmo and his passing. I found it on the Tribune website if you're interested in reading it. Dan    From Minneapolis Tribune April 13, 2015:

From a young age, John Skogmo had an affinity for finance. Family members recall him reading financial magazines at age 9.

As a teenager, he ran a concession stand in Fergus Falls, Minn., that sold popcorn, cotton candy and caramel apples. He invested the profits in shares of a local bank.

Skogmo, 67, of Minneapolis, died from bladder cancer on April 4, just a few months before his scheduled retirement after 43 years withWells Fargo and predecessor banks.

He’s remembered not just by colleagues in the wealth management division at Wells Fargo, but also at prominent nonprofits ranging from Macalester College in St. Paul to Westminster Presbyterian Church in ­Minneapolis.

“He challenged us to dream big, and yet kept our financial feet on the ground, which is just a tremendous gift,” said Kelley Lindquist, the president of Artspace, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit real estate developer where Skogmo served as a board member for about 14 years.

Artspace owns affordable housing projects across the country where artists can live and work. Skogmo was board chair in 2011, when the group opened the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts in ­Minneapolis.

“He did not have to be gruff or commanding in order to get everyone’s respect …” Lindquist said. “He always maintained balance, and listened to everyone’s input.”

After growing up in Fergus Falls, Skogmo earned his undergraduate degree in 1969 from Macalester, where he studied political science. He earned a degree in 1972 from the University of Minnesota Law School, and took a job in the small legal department at Northwestern National Bank, which eventually became Wells Fargo.

Skogmo spent his entire professional career in a building at the corner of S. 7th Street and Marquette Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, said Tom Morin, Skogmo’s partner of 32 years and husband of one year.

Skogmo started in the legal department, but moved to jobs in different parts of the bank before landing in what used to be called the trust department.

“He truly was passionate about managing money,” Morin said. “He saw great good in it, and a need.”

Skogmo helped individuals and families with complex or taxable estates who were looking to develop a financial strategy, said Mike Maeser, regional managing director with Wells Fargo Wealth Management.

The work can put a financial adviser in the middle of complex multigenerational issues, said Jeff Thomas, a colleague at the bank for more than 20 years.

“What the clients have told me is that they considered him part of their family,” Thomas said.

Skogmo served on the Macalester board of trustees from 1977 to 1983. He helped set the college on steady financial footing, said the Rev. Timothy Hart-Andersen, senior minister at Westminster Presbyterian Church and currently a Macalester trustee.

Hart-Andersen credited Skogmo with decades of service to the church in roles ranging from deacon and trustee to elder and treasurer. Skogmo chaired a church renovation project about seven years ago that created an outdoor courtyard, and he helped the church increase its endowment.

“His lasting contribution at Westminster will be the financial health, stability and careful stewardship of the church’s resources,” Hart-Andersen said. “That will benefit multiple generations to come.”

A memorial service is scheduled for 3 p.m. May 1 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1200 Marquette Av., Minneapolis. A reception will follow at the ­Minneapolis Club.

Obituary in Minneapolis Tribune April 12, 2015:

Skogmo, John Gunderson Died April 4, 2015 of cancer. Born in Fergus Falls, MN, July 15, 1947, to James Bertram and Joyce Shirley Skogmo. John found his calling at age nine, reading his father's issues of Kiplinger's financial magazine. He became fascinated with compounding interest and saw the benefits of delayed gratification. As a teenager he ran a concession that sold popcorn, cotton candy, and caramel apples at local events. At the end of the day he laundered money-at the kitchen sink, to get the sugar and grease off his cash intake. He used his earnings to buy shares in the Security State Bank of Fergus Falls and was frequently excused from school to attend shareholders' meetings. After graduation he left for the Cities to attend Macalester College, where he received a treasured liberal arts education. He earned a J. D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1972 and went to work immediately in the three-person legal department at Northwestern National Bank. Except for a summer at the Cornell University School of Business as a 1978 Bush Foundation Fellow and the bank's temporary displacement by the 1982 fire, John spent his entire career at the corner of 7th and Marquette, as NWNB became Norwest and then Wells Fargo. He was fortunate to work in several departments before finding his true home in 1989 in Wealth Management, where he applied his stellar relationship skills to helping individuals and families. He was set to retire in June 2015 after 43 years with the bank. John Skogmo's volunteer work, much of it behind-the-scenes, helped assure the solvency and stability of some important organizations. As a trustee of Macalester College, he reinvigorated the Alumni Fund at a critical juncture. He worked with Artspace to maintain affordable housing and workspace in gentrifying neighborhoods and was instrumental in establishing the Cowles Center. He served as president of the Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library and was appointed by the city council to the Minneapolis Community Development Agency. His proudest achievement was his long-term service to Westminster Presbyterian Church as a deacon, trustee, elder, and treasurer. John's was the voice of prudence in many crucial financial decisions, and his steadfast leadership earned respect for Westminster's endowment as one of the most wisely managed church funds in the country. He was predeceased by his parents and a grandniece, Lily Irene Martyn, and is survived by Tom Morin, his partner of 32 years and husband of 1 year; his sister, Shirley Nelson; niece Sharri Martyn and her daughter Claire; nephew Trevor Steeves (Jana) and his children, Elizabeth (Kyle) and Joshua; half-brothers Phillip Skogmo (Yukiko) and David Skogmo (Linda); two aunts and many cousins. Memorial service on Friday, May 1, 2015, at 3:00 PM, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1200 Marquette, Minneapolis. No flowers, please. Memorials preferred to Westminster or donor's choice. www.Washburn-McReavy.com Edina Chapel 952-920-3996

Published on April 12, 2015

John