Elliott Charles Kroeker was born September 1, 1962, in Mountain Lake, Minnesota, to Ellsworth and Beulah Kroeker. The youngest of three children, he was baptized in the Mennonite faith and grew up on the family farm, graduating from Mountain Lake High School in 1981.
After high school, Elliott moved to Minneapolis and earned his Cosmetology degree from Minneapolis Community and Technical College. He enjoyed a successful 40-year career as a hairstylist, working at several prominent Minneapolis-area salons, winning numerous competitions, and building lasting friendships with loyal clients. He also modeled for several agencies, earned a Diamond Certificate from the Gemological Institute of America, and enjoyed designing jewelry and educating others about diamonds. He retired from hairstyling and modeling in 2022. Throughout his life, he held a deep passion for architectural design.
Elliott loved traveling and visited Greece, France, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Mexico captured his heart, and in the late 1990s he relocated to Playa del Carmen, where he worked as a hairstylist and purchased a small lot to build his dream tropical home.
In 1999, while visiting Minneapolis from Mexico, Elliott met Greg Johnson. Their first date was August 8, 1999, and after a brief return to Mexico, Elliott came back to Minnesota to build a life with Greg. They lived in Minneapolis before settling in Bloomington in 2005, where they made their forever home. Elliott and Greg were married on August 8, 2014, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Minneapolis.
Elliott passed away unexpectedly on August 19, 2026, after a courageous battle with cancer, facing every challenge with positivity and determination.
Elliott was preceded in death by his grandparents, parents Ellsworth and Beulah Kroeker, father and mother-in-law Don and Judy Johnson, and nephew Adam Kroeker. He is survived by his husband of 27 years Greg Johnson, his loving fur baby Claudette Chanel, brother Chet (Monica Whitson) Kroeker, sister Signe (Robert) Bradee, brother-in-law David (Lorri Ann) Johnson, and sister-in-law Lori Johnson; nephews and nieces: Matt (Meghan) Karschnik, Jed (Becca) Karschnik, Allison Bradee, Kelly (Mark Basset) Kroeker, Thaniel van Amerongen, Brooke Bock, Laura Curmek, and Soni (Carl) Nyquist; as well as 17 great nephews and nieces, Jonathan, Ella, Mina, Matilda, Athena, Julia, Jenna, Jada, Noah, Mckenzie, Gabriella, Natalie, Isabelle, Otto, Skye, Sven, and Thea.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Washburn McReavy in Edina on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a service at 2:00 p.m.
