Ed Towe 1914-2012

[WardAZ]

I just receive a message from Ed's daughter that he passed away at her home in Sacramento, CA.
Ed owned Fords from most every year produced including many Model A's. Here is the obiturary information for those who may have known him:

Edward Towe
1914 – 2012

Edward Towe, a Montana banker, rancher, and entrepreneur, died March 13, 2012, 38 days before his 98th birthday, of natural causes at the home of his daughter in Sacramento, California.
Edward Towe was born in Norway, Iowa, on April 20, 1914. His mother and all 4 grandparents were born in Norway near the town of Tau inland from Stavanger, Norway. He was an entrepreneur throughout his life beginning from the time he became the town’s only bicycle repairman with a bicycle shop in Paullina, Iowa when he was just 15 years old. Soon after that he started buying old model T Fords and making them into farm wagons.
Edward Towe worked his way through engineering school at Iowa State College in Ames. He married Florence Tow, daughter of a prominent Hereford breeder near Dysart, Iowa, in 1935. By then he had made several trips driving new Fords to California to sell at a profit. In 1937 he, along with a cousin, purchased the Ford dealership in Paullina, Iowa, which he ran for a year before moving to California where he bought a gas station and sold gas for 11.9 cents per gallon at a time when all gas was pumped by hand.
During the war years, he used his engineering skills on the drawing boards of many large aircraft companies designing airplane parts. After the war he went back to farming in Iowa. In 1949 he sold his farm near Paullina for $275 per acre, considered the highest price ever received for farm land in that area. After a short interlude in California where he bought and ran a dairy freeze business, he took his profits from the sale of the farm and bought a small country bank in Dupree, South Dakota.
Edward Towe was involved in banking for the next 43 years. In 1954 he purchased The First National Bank of Circle, in Circle, Montana. From there he expanded to Wibaux, Red Lodge, Baker, Fairview, Reserve (later moved to Plentywood), Richey, Roundup, Butte, Superior, Bozeman, Belgrade and Browning, all in Montana and Modale in Iowa. He and his partners sold 13 of the 14 banks in 1973-74. He returned to the First National Bank of Wibaux in 1987 after the sale of that bank fell through. His business sense was good and he helped many farmers, ranchers, and businessmen prosper and ran clean banks in the process. Many people remember him as the banker who came to school bond sales and bought the entire bond issues when no one else would bid on them.
Edward Towe did not like the government telling him how to run his business. Consequently, he got in trouble with both the federal banking authorities and the Internal Revenue Service with whom he did battle for years.
He collected some 300 antique cars, almost all Fords, starting with a 1923 Model T Ford Roadster which he purchased and fully restored in 1954. Along with master restorer, Lewis Rector, Edward Towe developed the finest and most complete collection of antique Fords in the world. Three times, Edward Towe actually drove an antique Ford automobile home from Uruguay and Argentina along the Pan American Highway, three most fascinating trips.
When the collection outgrew the display in the bank basement in Circle, Montana, it was moved to Helena where for 10 years it was housed in the Montana Historical Museum. In fact, that wing of the museum was built for the purpose of housing his collection. When the lease was not renewed, he was invited by the Powell County Museum and Arts Foundation to move the collection to Deer Lodge to be displayed in conjunction with the opening of the new territorial prison museum complex. The cars were moved to the Towe Antique Ford Museum in Deer Lodge in 1979. After 8 years, when the lease was not renewed, he was invited by the California Vehicle Foundation to bring the cars to Sacramento, California. When some of the people of Deer Lodge asked him not to move the cars, it was decided to leave the Lincoln collection and several “duplicates” in Deer Lodge so there could be two antique Ford museums. When the cars were sold to satisfy an argument with the IRS in 1997, it was the largest sale of antique cars from one collection ever. The cars went to Japan, Holland, and many other places around the world. A large percentage, however, were purchased by local buyers which allowed them to be kept in their respective museums and both are still in operation as antique automobile museums today.
Edward Towe was preceded in death by his wife of 71 years, Florence Towe, who died in 2007. He is survived by his 5 children, Thomas E. Towe and wife Ruth of Billings, Karen James and husband Wesley of Bryan, Texas, Kristin Updegraff and husband Jim of Sacramento, California, Sara Horsfall of Arlington, Texas, and Andrew Towe and wife Beth, of Waterton, Alberta, Canada. He is survived by 9 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. Services will be held at the next family gathering in June at Swan Lake and his ashes will be interred at the Norwegian portion of the Norway, Iowa, cemetery.

[BudP]

Life is a contact sport and this gentleman was not afraid of contact and consequences. RIP

[400A-64]

Ed Towe was a gracious host. Many years ago when we were on tour in Montana. We were priveleged to visit part of his collection at the State House and the he took us to his ranch where we viewed the largest collection of Lincoln Motor Cars as well as most every Ford that was built. The collection was extensive and was a few years before he started to move most of his cars t Sacramento California.
Bruce Davis [email protected]

[Benson]

I remember visiting the Deer Lodge, Montana museum on a trip to Seattle ... liked it so much we stopped on the way back to look some more!

[Stretch Cab]

Are there any articles online about his trips bringing cars back from Argentina? That would have been a real experience! Probably couldn't do it today with the drug wars.

[Roadster62]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I never got to see the Towe collection but read a few articles on it over the years. What a great life Ed Towe lived, "The American Dream", hard work, helped others and made a living that allowed him to amass a great car collection. Thoughts and prayers going out to his family and friends.

[ford1]

its strange, ive been to the musem and i now have a set of license plate holders from towe, they have the thunderbid emblem in the corners, when the hot rod goes they stay with me

[Barry B./ Ma.]

Originally Posted by Stretch Cab

Are there any articles online about his trips bringing cars back from Argentina? That would have been a real experience! Probably couldn't do it today with the drug wars.

I think there was a story about he and his daughter driving a Model A back from Argentina. Can't recall which issue but probably in the early eighties. It was in MAFCA's magazine.

[jkcrosson]

Originally Posted by Stretch Cab

Are there any articles online about his trips bringing cars back from Argentina? That would have been a real experience! Probably couldn't do it today with the drug wars.

The attached link offers a thirty page booklet about a couple of his trips to Argentina.

http://pcmaf.org/shop/product-info.p...owe-pid79.html

[jerryhoppe]

I had the privilege of meeting & getting to know "Ed & Lewis" in 1980 while working at the museum in Deer Lodge. Best dream job for a young car buff anyone could possibly ever have. Can you imagine getting to sit in the drivers seat of nearly every model of Ford made from 1903 through 1950, and many old Lincoln's, Mercury's, & Edsel's. Thanks to Ed, he made this memorable experience possible. My three equally favorites were the 1903 A, 1907 K Touring, & 1929 A Towncar. Oh, and the 1934 Coupe. Ed made an impact on many lives, including my own. He was pretty tight. One day I asked/said to him, I could never figure out why he and Lewis would haul all of his fresh restored and original cars on an open trailer and they'd come in brand new, and coated with road dirt and rain and mud. He said he liked the looks he got while going down the highway. It gave me plenty to do too. I cleaned them up again to museum showroom quality. Thanks Edward for the memories. ~Jerry~