He was born in Seattle on November 23, 1904,[1] the second son of John W. Nordstrom and Hilda Carlson.
[3][4] The three brothers focused on good value and quality, coupled with customer service, and by the 1960s, had the largest independent shoe store chain in the US, and the largest store in the country in downtown Seattle.
[3] In 1968, all three brothers retired, and the next generation took over - Everett's son, Bruce Nordstrom; Elmer's sons, James and John; Lloyd's son-in-law, Jack McMillan, along with family friend Bob Bender.
[3] He was married to Katharine "Kitty" Johanson, and they had two sons, James and John Nordstrom.
[2] His father-in-law, Dr. Nils Johanson, founded the Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, and Nordstrom joined the hospital board in 1935, and remained on it for over 50 years.