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IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Todd Edward

Todd Edward Klingel Profile Photo

Klingel

Dec 3, 1952 — Oct 30, 2016

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Obituary

Beloved Husband, Dad, Poppa, Son, Brother, and Uncle

The rich, fulfilling life of Todd Edward Klingel ended peacefully on October 30, 2016, surrounded by his loving family , at home in Mendota Heights , Minnesota . He was 63, and had bravely battled cancer for 18 months.

O ne of four children of James and Henriette Klingel , Todd was born on December 3 , 1952, in Mendota Heights. He went to Sibley High School (1971) , attended DePauw University (Indiana) and graduated from the University of Minnesota in Journalism in 1975 . He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and worked on Minnesota Daily student newspaper . In 1974 he married his high school sweetheart, Deborah ( " Debb ") , with whom he has three children .

Todd leaves a rich 40-year legacy as a far-sighted business and civic leader. Shortly after graduation, he joined MCP Inc., helping to launch several publications including the Twin Cities Reader and CityBusiness (now the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal). Always a whirlwind of creative energy and foresight , he later created the Viking Update and then purchased the Skyway News downtown newspaper.

In 1991, he became Executive Vice President of the Minneapolis Downtown Council, and helped spearhead the creation of Holidazzle , the Nicollet Mall holiday parades that began in 1992. He was also a key part in creating the Do the Town parking program for visitors who patronized downtown retailers and restaurants , and also led the effort to bring the Minneapolis Aquatennial Festival under the Downtown Council's programming. ​ Moving from a downtown promoter to a regional champion, Todd became President and CEO of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce in 2003, and during his tenure worked closely with other chamber and civic organizations to coordinate efforts on behalf of the greater good of the region. This led to the development of GreaterMSP . He also was instrumental in furthering transportation causes at the state level, and led Chamber support for building the new Vikings stadium.

Additionally, he was most proud of his teamwork with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Ryback and U.S. Bank Chairman and CEO Richard Davis to create Step-Up in partnership with Minneapolis Public Schools and Achieve Minneapolis. To date, Step-Up has help ed over 22,000 inner-city students obtain internships with regional business es.

He brought that same creativity and energy to his personal life. An avid musician, he played saxophone and piano. He loved classic cars, music, antiquing and traveling the world with his beloved Debb .  His many friends remember him as a loyal and trusted companion who se calming and witty personality always made one feel better by being in his company.

Above all, he was an inspiring and devoted father and, recently, a loving and doting grandfather .

He is survive d by his wife of 42 years, Debb ; two daughters, Sarah Donahoe (Grattan) and Lindsay Litzinger (Casey); son, Jeff; grandchildren, Lucca and Leo; mother, Henriette; two sisters, Laura and Cindy; and one brother, Stephen.

Celebration of Life will be held at Unity Church, 703 Portland Ave. St. Paul on Friday, November 11, 2016 at 4 P.M.
Memorials Preferred to Minneapolis's STEP-UP program (achievempls.org) or YouthLink (YouthLinkMN.org).


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