Edward Anthony Kaschins

Monday, November 6, 2017 6:29 pm

Edward Anthony Kaschins, 78, died peacefully Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017, from complications of cancer at Mayo Clinic Hospital, St. Mary’s Campus in Rochester, Minn., surrounded by his wife Elizabeth and sons, Edward and John. It was Ed’s wish to be cremated; his eyes were donated to the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank. Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah is serving the family. Online condolences may be made at fjelstul.com.

His family will greet friends at a celebratory reception Sunday afternoon, Nov. 19, 3 to 5 p.m., in the Fellowship Hall of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. The memorial service is Monday, Nov. 20, at 11 a.m., at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church with Pastor Amy Larson and Pastor Marion Pruitt-Jefferson officiating. Organist is Brooke Joyce, and music will be provided by the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Choir and Band. A luncheon will follow in the Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be directed to Luther College, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Ed was born March 5, 1939, in Chicago, Ill., the only child of Allyce and Anthony Kaschins. After high school graduation in 1956, he enrolled at the Illinois Institute of Technology where he first attempted a chemical engineering major but ultimately earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business and economics in 1961. Ed married Elizabeth, a recent Northwestern University graduate he met on a double blind date, June 23, 1962, at Randolph Heights Presbyterian Church, St. Paul, Minn. He pursued graduate studies in economics with the goal of becoming a college teacher, first earning a Master of Arts degree from the University of Chicago in 1964.

In the summer of 1965, the late Warren Berg, chair of the economics, accounting and management department, introduced Ed and Elizabeth to Luther College and Decorah. In the fall, Ed and Elizabeth moved from Chicago to Decorah and Ed began his college teaching career. After teaching for two years, Ed left to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Iowa, earning his Ph.D. degree in 1973. Like his master’s paper, his dissertation focused on Karl Marx’s theory of economic crises.

While pursuing his Ph.D., Ed was invited to return to the Luther faculty in the fall of 1970, thus beginning his love affair with Luther College and Decorah. He served as chair of the Department of Economics and Business from 1987-1999 and was the first recipient of the Dahl Chair in Economics, which he held from 1994-2004. Ed retired in May 2004 as an emeritus professor of economics. During his 36 years on the faculty, he was an involved presence on campus and deeply invested in the lives of his students – in his classrooms, on the athletic fields and courts and in campus concert halls and theatres.

Ed was known for his sense of humor. No doubt, many were on the receiving end of his jokes and muttered barbs; his sons inherited this quality. His hobby was being the quintessential super-fan – a lifelong Chicago White Sox fan, later adopting the Cubs; an ever-present supporter of Luther’s men’s and women’s athletic teams and performing arts ensembles; Decorah High School co-curricular activities; and his son’s endeavors. He was proud of completing two of Duluth’s Grandma’s Marathons and several shorter races during his jogging-running years. Two of Ed’s favorite places and times were spending summer months with his family and summer friends at their rustic cabin in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado and winter times in the Ocean Beach community of San Diego.
In 1971, after settling into life in Decorah, Ed and Elizabeth became members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. He also joined the Decorah Rotary Club, Oneota Golf and Country Club, the Norse Athletic Association, and became an on-stage member of New Minowa Players. As an undergraduate, Ed was an enthusiastic member of the national social fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi; in his professional life he was a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international economics honor society,

After his initial cancer diagnosis in 2010, Ed came under the care of many in the medical and surgical specialties of Mayo Clinic and its hospitals, as well as the Decorah Clinic, Winneshiek Medical Center, and Team Rehab. Ed’s family is grateful for the expert and compassionate care he and they experienced during these past seven years. He also was blessed with support, love and prayers of his pastors and friends; his family is grateful and sustained by them, now.

Ed is survived by his wife of 55 years, Elizabeth; two sons, Edward J. of Boulder, Colo. and John A. of Minneapolis; Minn., and brother-in-law Lewis Wenzell, San Diego, Calif.

He was preceded in death by an infant son, Edward Lewis; his parents, Allyce and Anthony Kaschins; his mother-in-law, Elizabeth McKinnon; and stepfather-in-law, Claire McKinnon.