THE RENNER FAMILY

The Renner family has been in the well drilling business since the turn of the century.

In 1911, Max Renner, Sr. moved to St. Louis Park. Max had come from a family of well drillers from Germany, and had established the Max Renner Well Company in south Minneapolis in 1895. By the turn of the last century, the Park was growing and each new home and business required its own well. Max moved his business west when he found that he was spending too much time traveling back and forth with his horses and wagons.

In 1918 Max Renner, Sr. was tragically killed one foggy morning by the Tonka By Street Car at the Wooddale and 44th Street crossing. At his death, sons Edwin H. and Leslie Max Renner took over the business.

In 1933, Edwin H. "Ed" Renner, half owner of the Max Renner Well Co., left to form the E.H. Renner Well Co. He and his wife Gertrude owned a large home on Goodrich Avenue. Gertrude was an active volunteer with the Community Fund during the Depression, becoming a paid director of relief efforts for Hennepin County in 1938. In 1944, she became City Clerk Joe Justad's secretary.

In 1947, Ed Renner's sons Edwin R. ("Eddie") and Tom (b. 1918) joined the company when they returned from the Service. An ad from the 1947 Park Directory shows a proud father at his desk and his two strapping sons standing by one of their trucks.

Tom’s wife Kitty contributed the “Knittin’ With Kitten” column in the Dispatch @ 1959.

Tom Renner retired from E.H. Renner and Sons in 1981, and his brother Eddie retired two years later. The firm is now owned and operated by the twin sons of Tom Renner, Roger E. and Raymond T. Renner. It is the largest water well drilling business in the State in Minnesota.

Also See Water and Plumbing.


 

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.