Eleanor Grace Allan Ball

Eleanor Ball of Edina, MN, and Naples, FL, passed away peacefully on Friday, July 22, 2022, at age 87. Eleanor was born in Sparta, as the first child to Lloyd Duard Allan and Janet Catherine (Newton) Allan on June 6, 1935. The family settled in Mayville, where her father practiced law with the Thiel and Allan Law Firm.
Eleanor was a woman who was fully committed to her family. She was a loving wife and strategic business partner to the love of her life, Scott Ball. She loved being a mom to her four children as she was always there for them every step of the way. And she was a devoted daughter who cherished her parents throughout their lives.
One of her favorite pastimes was building, and decorating houses with her husband. The two of them had so much fun together designing, overseeing the construction, and decorating new homes across the country. Their projects are still standing today in Illinois, Nebraska, Florida, Minnesota, Colorado, and California.
She was a huge lover of the beach. She loved the sunshine, the palm trees, and sitting on a beach chair next to her favorite people while watching the waves come in. She loved planning family travel adventures too. Surprisingly, the destinations were usually to a beach! Some of her favorite vacations were to: Italy’s Amalfi Coast, Istanbul, Hawaii, Interlaken, Paris, Greek Islands, California, Tuscany, and her childhood family cottage on Green Lake in Wisconsin.
Eleanor and Scott loved to entertain their family and friends. She loved to cook and the two of them “cooked up” crazy party themes. Just to name a few: “The Wisconsin Badgers Pep Rally” (with Bucky Badger and the Wisconsin Marching band), “Back to the 1950’s with The Four Tops,” “Disco with The Village People,” “Mark VII Backyard Olympics,” and their annual Santa’s reindeer theme, “Rudi and Vixen’s” Family Christmas Celebration.
Eleanor graduated from Mayville High School in 1953 and attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison, graduating with a degree in Journalism in 1957. In college, she became a member of the Alpha Phi Sorority where she developed life-long friends. They stayed close, forever friends by writing Round Robin Letters to each other for nearly 60 years!
Upon college graduation, Eleanor landed a job in Park Ridge, IL, as a Journalism Teacher at Maine Township High School. She moved to the Chicago area to begin her teaching career and pursue her other dream of becoming a newspaper reporter for the Chicago Tribune. She wanted to write stories to help take down the Chicago Mob!
In the summer of 1957, soon after her arrival to Park Ridge, she went on a date to a party on the shores of Lake Michigan – hosted by her future husband, Scott Ball. Unfortunately for her date, Eleanor and Scott were introduced to each other and it was love at first sight! The two of them could not take their eyes off each other. A few days later, Scott took Eleanor out on their own date to Tony’s Cellar on Rush Street in downtown Chicago. The two of them continued the date for 63 years!! They were married in Eleanor’s hometown of Mayville, on June 14, 1958. They built a life and a family together in the Chicago suburbs, Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska, Edina, Minnesota, and Naples, Florida.
Eleanor is survived by her husband of 63 years, Scott and her children, Jan Finken (Dave), Carolyn Holmes (Bob), Scott Ball (Colletta), and Nancy Schneider; the Finken grandchildren, Taylor, Kyle, and Jake; the Holmes grandchildren, Bobby and Catherine; the Ball grandchildren, Natalie and Steven; and the Schneider grandchildren, Tanner, Sadie, and Lucy.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Janet and Lloyd Allan and sister, Sally (Allan) Onan.
Eleanor will be remembered for her happy smile, positive attitude, quick-witted intelligence, and making friends wherever she went. She led a beautiful life filled with love, wonderful people and places, and FUN! She was a spectacular lady, and she will be dearly missed by all that knew and loved her.
The Celebration of Eleanor Ball will be held at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minnesota from 11a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 19. Interlachen Country Club (Porch Room) is located at 6200 Interlachen Boulevard, Edina, MN. (952) 929-1661
In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations to the Alpha Phi Foundation are preferred. https://www.alphaphifoundation.org/ways-to-give/donate/. Please include Eleanor Allan Ball’s name in the “this gift is in memory of” section.