Patricia Jean (Palmer) Wickett, 87, of Virginia, formerly of Babbitt, passed away Tuesday, February 5, 2019. Patricia was born December 18, 1931, in Lanesboro, MN to Orrie and Alice (Palmer). In 1946, the family moved to Harmony, MN, where she graduated from high school in 1946. She then attended the Harding Beauty School in Winona and received her cosmetology license in 1950. She worked in shops in Austin and Preston and later was assistant cashier at a bank in Harmony. She was united in marriage to Richard E. Wickett on August 5, 1951. The lived in Harmony and Canton before moving to Babbitt in 1956.
She was a member of the Woodland Presbyterian Church, American Legion Auxiliary, VFW Auxiliary, Babbitt Golf Association, Women’s bowling Association for over 35 years, Dance Club, Babbitt Knight Riders, Snowmobile Club, and was active in Cub Scouting for a number of years.
She is survived by two sons, Gregory (Joyce) of Farmington and Douglas of Arizona; daughter, Cheri (Skip) Nelimark of Mountain Iron; eight grandchildren: Jason, Joshua, Adria, Mathew, Joseph, Acasia, Brittanie, and Nathan; two step-grandchildren, Ashley and Aaron; several great grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband in 2016; father in 1950; mother in 1998; brothers, Lorimer and Neil; her twin, David and sibling twins in 1923.
A family memorial gathering will be held at a later date. Arrangements are with Range Funeral Home in Virginia. To sign the online guest book or to send condolences, please visit www.rangefuneralhomes.com.

Jack Lindgren, 92, of Oklahoma City OK, passed away on Jan. 25. He was born in Ely Minnesota in 1926 and served in the U.S. Navy.

Gertrude “Trudy” (Rydeski) Steiskal, 95, of Ely, passed away on Thursday, February 7, 2019 at the Boundary Waters Care Center in Ely. Memorial service at a later date as requested by family. To be held at the Polish National Catholic Church near Harding, MN. Survive by nieces, nephews and many friends. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

LT Kaitlyn Velsvaag, 23, passed away Sunday, January 27, 2019 at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, Fayetteville, NC.
Kaitlyn was born at Womack Army Medical Center, Ft. Bragg, NC on April 9, 1995. She graduated from Wiesbaden High School, Wiesbaden, Germany in 2013 and received an Army ROTC Scholarship to the University of Dubuque, Iowa. In May of 2017 she graduated with Majors in Criminal Justice and Psychology and a Minor in Military Science. After commissioning she branched Military Police (MP) and was incredibly honored to be assigned to the 503rd MP Battalion (Airborne) at Fort Bragg. She proudly completed Airborne school in November.
Kaitlyn is loved by so many for her kind and beautiful soul. She will be greatly missed.
She is survived by her parents, Linnea Velsvaag and James Campbell; her father, Cory Smith; her best friend/twin sister, Kirsten George (Austin); maternal grandmother, Lana Jackson; maternal grandfather, Herman Velsvaag (Deloris); paternal grandparents, Kenneth and Jeary Smith, Richard and Marion Campbell; Uncles, John Velsvaag of Ely and Jeaf Smith; Aunts, Laura Velsvaag and Barb King (Lawrence); soul mate, Anthony Louis Reed; and a host of extended family members and friends throughout the world.
Funeral services and inurnment will take place in Arlington National Cemetery this summer.
In lieu of flowers, please donate in Kaitlyn’s memory to Thundering Paws Adoption Center http://thunderingpawsinc.robertgable.net or an animal shelter of your choosing. Kaitlyn’s cat, Artemis, was adopted through their program and he gave her so much joy.
Arrangements for the family are entrusted to LaFayette Funeral Home, 6651 Raeford Rd. Fayetteville, NC 28304. Online condolences may be made at www.lafayettefh.com.

Clay Reeves, 66, of Babbitt, passed away on Friday, February 22, 2019 at his residence. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

Susan Marie (Crawford) Morgan, 65, passed away on February 25, 2019. Her final calling to God was at Kindred Hospital, with her husband Dwight by her side.
Sue was born in Stoughton, WI on June 7, 1953, to Richard Crawford and Barb (Mattson) Crawford Johnson, both of whom resided in Schroeder, MN.
Sue lived life to the fullest, loved her family and many friends. She moved to Kentucky in July of 1999, with support and some protest of her family. It was the hardest decision she had to make, but later found out that it was the correct decision. This is where she wanted and needed to be. It was God’s calling for her.
She enjoyed cooking and raising her farm animals; especially the miniature goats, pigs and horses, with her husband Dwight on their farm in Leitchfield, KY. Smiles and happiness proliferated with her in helping deliver the baby animals and caring for them.
Sue loved her husband Dwight. She oftentimes shook her head with a smile at his witty remarks, funny jokes and irritation towards her doctors and nurses; always making sure that they were providing quality medical management for her during her long battle with cancer. Dwight gave her the best care possible, providing her with medical equipment and nurses in their home, which would even make a hospital jealous. Her best nurse was always her husband, who gave her rides to her appointments, fed her at home and gave everything he had to make her comfortable.
Sue was preceded in death by her mother, Barb (Matson) Crawford Johnson of Schroeder, MN, and her father, Richard Crawford of Schroeder, MN.
Sue is survived by her loving husband of nine years, Troy Dwight Morgan of Leitchfield, KY; children: Stephen (Ginger Main) Anderson of Tower, MN; Misty (Chris) Merhar of Ely, MN; Rachel Anderson of Ely, MN and Joey (Kristen) Gerzin of Otsego, MN. Sisters and brothers: Sally (Terry) Anderson of Soudan, MN; Jennifer Crawford of Hamilton, MT; Karl Crawford of Schroeder, MN and Rick (Cindy) Crawford of Grand Marais, MN along with several nieces, nephews and grandchildren. Arrangements for memorial service and Celebration of Life are pending at a future date and location. Burial will be at Oak Forest Missionary Baptist Church #2 Cemetery in Scottsville, KY at the husband’s family plot.

Lillian Esther (Taapa) Seme, 97, of Ely, passed away on Thursday, February 28, 2019 at the Boundary Waters Care Center in Ely. She was born in 1921 in Embarrass, the daughter of Charles and Mary Taapa.
In 1946 she married Anton Frank Seme and they had two sons: Anthony and Mark.
Lillian was an excellent wife, mother and homemaker, always putting her family first. She loved cooking and making potica, even on a wood range. Coming back to the woods gave her joy. She love the birds and critters, even bears and wolves although she did have to fend off a bear with a pistol once.
During WWII she was in Seattle, WA building B-17s and B-29s for the war effort. A true “Lil” the Riveter!
She is survived by her son Anthony and three grandchildren: Ryan (Amber) Seme, Michael (Melanie) Seme and Elizabth Seme; and three great grandchildren: Chloe, Tristan and Liam. She was preceded in death by her husband Anton and son, Mark. Service is pending. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

Richard “Dick” Mobilia, 78, of Ely passed away on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019, at Chestnut Grove Health Care Facility in Virginia, MN. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home.

Don Church of Ely passed away on Friday, March 1. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home.

Frank Edward Delak, 88, passed away on Monday, March 4, 2019. Frank was born on April 26, 1930 in Ely, MN to Frank and Mary (Leustek) Delak. He graduated from Ely High School in 1948 and was a heavy equipment operator and a member of the Operating Engineers Local 49.
Frank enjoyed working on projects in his garage and could fix anything. He was very hard working and shared his knowledge and skill of mechanics, carpentry, electrical and plumbing with his son and son-in-law. His generosity to his children and grandchildren knew no bounds.
He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Ruth (Tanttari) Delak, children: Mary (Rob) Mattson of Ely and Rich (Melissa) Delak of Ramsey; two grandchildren: Trevor and Erika Mattson and two grand dogs: Frankie Delak and Finley Mattson; one sister Dorothy Barclay, one nephew and four nieces.
He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Mary Klun.
Per Frank’s request, there will not be a funeral.

Marilyn Johnson, 82, of White Bear Lake, formerly of Ely passed away on March 2, 2019, after a fall on a wonderful trip to Costa Rica. She was born on July 13, 1936, in Cohasset, Minnesota. She was preceded in death by her parents, Arlie and Eleanor Clusiau. She was survived by her beloved husband, Bruce, her son, Mark (Désirée), her daughter, Denise, her son, Jeff (Holly), 8 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren (with another girl on the way). She was in one of the first classes at the University of Minnesota to get a degree in Physical Therapy. She was a devout Catholic, working in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and bringing communion to the homebound, among other duties. When Marilyn said she would pray for you, she meant it, and she kept a current written prayer list that she attended to every evening. She loved and was loved by many, many people. One of the songs she loved was “You Gotta Dance Till You Drop” by Robert Robinson, and she did. A funeral mass will be held at St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church in White Bear Lake at 11:00 on March 16, with visiting for an hour earlier, and a lunch after.

Rita Beron Myntti, of Duluth, 92, died on March 5, 2019 at the Hospice of St Luke’s Hospital from complications of a fall. She was born to Raymond and Gilberte (Lachance) Beron on April 7, 1927 at home in Proctor, MN. She graduated from Proctor High School in the class of 1945.
Rita married Donald C Myntti on November 26, 1947 at St. Rose Catholic Church in Proctor, Minnesota. Yvonne McDonald, of Proctor, and Sigurd Olson Jr, of Ely, were attendants. Over their married life Rita and Don had five children and moved 25 times, cross-crossing the United States following Don’s mining and naval careers.
Rita married at the age of 20 before she finished college, always with the knowledge that she would finish when time permitted. After accumulating credits toward a degree from several institutions, she finally received her Bachelors degree summa cum laude in 1990 from the University of Evansville, in Evansville IN. She was inducted into the honor society Phi Kappa Phi that year. In May 2006, at the age of 79, Rita graduated with a Masters of Liberal Studies from the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), Duluth MN.
Rita worked as a professional model, travel agent, and stockbroker, but her twin passions were painting and writing. She wrote travel articles, children’s stories and three novels (under her maiden name Rita J Beron): The Monet Deception (2000); Family Voices (2003); and The Breath of the Dragon (2010).
She was a member of the American Association of University Women, and various opera, book and public affairs discussion groups. She was also a member of the Kitchi Gammi Club, University for Seniors at UMD, and she volunteered at the Damiano Center and the Salvation Army.
Her greatest joys in life were her husband, children, grandchildren, and new great-grandson. Her friends universally describe her as elegant, kind and intelligent.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers, Raymond and Giles.
Her survivors include her husband of 72 years, Donald, Duluth; four daughters: Dr. Cynthia Myntti and her husband Dr. Norbert Hirschhorn, London, England; Valerie Myntti and her husband Frank Sherman, Ely MN; Andrea Myntti-Groom and her husband Michael Groom, Mabank TX; Laura Myntti, Madison WI; one son: Charles Myntti, Da Nang, Vietnam; one brother: Richard Beron, Proctor MN; seven grandchildren: Patrick Groom, Agatha Venters, Rebekah Sherman-Myntti, Ivie Myntti, Kirsi Myntti, Beron Selkregg, and Mills Selkregg; one great-grandchild, Charles Venters; and beloved relatives Steve Myntti and John Prola.
Service: A celebration of Rita’s life will be held at 11 a.m., on Monday August 12, 2019 at the Benedictine Health Center Chapel, 935 Kenwood Avenue, Duluth, with visitation prior to the service. Burial will follow at the Scandia Cemetery, 3200 London Road, Duluth, with arrangements made by the Cremation Society of Minnesota.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Hospice at St. Luke’s Hospital, Duluth; the University of Evansville, Evansville, IN (Office of Development); and Mercy Corps, Prescott, AZ 86304. The family would like to thank Dr. Luke Midlo, Dr. Kruti Patel, and the extraordinary staff at the Hospice at St. Luke’s Hospital. The family would also like to thank Rita’s wonderful friends and the loving staff at Westwood and Marywood of the Benedictine Living Community of Duluth.

Robert W. Haapala, 84, of Babbitt, passed away on Friday, March 8, 2019 at the Boundary Waters Care Center in Ely. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

Albert "AL" J. Dietz Jr., 75, a U.S. Army veteran of Ely, passed away on Sunday, March 10, 2019 at the Boundary Waters Care Center in Ely. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Ely at 11:00 A.M. with visitation being held one hour prior to the service at the church. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

Ladonna "Donna" Bramley, 88, of Babbitt, passed away on Friday, March 15, 2019 at Essentia Health- St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

Richard Dean “Rick” Tomsich, 61, of Tower, passed away on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, at Essentia Health St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth.
He was born on August 8, 1957, in Ely, the youngest of seven children, to Leonard “Lanko” and Nelmi (Carlson) Tomsich. Rick was a lifelong resident of Tower. He attended Tower-Soudan High School, where he played basketball and football, graduating in 1975.
He learned the family business, Tower Bakery, first hand, alongside his parents and sisters and brothers. He worked at the bakery from age 14 until it’s closing in 1990. He then worked for Pep’s Bakery in Virginia for many years and then continued on to make the famous “Tower Bakery” pasties for everyone to enjoy.
Rick loved the outdoors. He was an avid grouse and deer hunter, with both rifle and bow. He liked to play darts and pool and was a member of the Iron Range Men’s Pool League. He also enjoyed watching the Vikings and Twins. Rick was proficient at doing Sudoku and crossword puzzles and was a master of both. He was hardly ever seen around town without his dog by his side.
Rick lived with multiple health challenges his entire life, but he displayed a consistently optimistic outlook with his easy-going nature. He was humble, kind and had a great sense of humor. He was gone too soon.
He was a member of St. Martin’s Catholic Church of Tower.
He is survived by three brothers, Leonard (Judith) Tomsich of New Baltimore, MI, Barry (Gail Nelson) Tomsich of Crosslake, MN, and Timothy (Lori) Tomsich of Soudan; three sisters, Cathy (Jim) Wright of Tower, Nancy Larson of Soudan and Robin (Sheldon) Majerle of Tower; aunt, Helen Lakner of Ely; nephews, nieces, numerous cousins, his dog Breeze, many great friends and all the people whose lives he touched.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a niece, Jill (Tomsich) Langley and a brother-in-law, Richard Larson.
A memorial mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 30, 2019, at St. Martin’s Catholic Church in Tower, with Rev. Fr. Nick Nelson as celebrant. A gathering of family and friends will be for one hour prior to the mass at the church. Spring burial will be at Lakeview Cemetery in Tower. Arrangements are with the Landmark Funeral Home of Virginia.

Leroy Jenson, 73, Embarrass, passed away Friday, March 22, 2019 in Ely Bloomenson Hospital with wife Pam by his side. Arrangements and full obituary are pending with Kerntz Funeral Home, Ely.

Robert "Bob" Kovall, 99, of Ely, a proud U.S. Army veteran, passed away today, Monday March 25, 2019 at the Boundary Waters Care Center. Funeral arrangements are pending with Kerntz Funeral Home.

Leroy “Roy” Jenson of Embarrass joined this world on September 23, 1945. Son of Clarence Jenson and Clara Jenson. Brother of Delores, and Marvel.

Roy was drafted into the United States Army in 1965-1967. He proudly served his country during the Vietnam War as a helicopter gunner. In later years he so enjoyed exchanges with other Veterans and those individuals who would approach him and thank him for his service.

Roy first met his sweety, Pam in 1986-1987 while in Law Enforcement. Life happened. Pam and Roy were able to reconnect in 1992 and blended their two families on April 18, 1998.

Roy brought joy to the lives of many. He enjoyed playing pranks, fishing, and talking with folks he would meet in the community. Roy shared a rich life with his wife, Pam, riding his motorcycle, bird watching and just hanging out on their porches or at the lake house. He loved spending time with his sister, niece, and family members on both sides. These visits were frequently accompanied by humor and pranks. Roy enjoyed the abundance of animals at the farm, doggies, particularly Fat Louie who was always by his side, cats, horse(s), donkey, chickens, and geese. It was a daily occurrence to find a hammer or drill in his hand, he loved creating wood projects or working on things around the house or cabin.

Roy is survived by the Love of his Life, Pam, 5 children-MaryJean (Peter) Grubish, Mike (Rhonda) Travers, Jamie Patterson, Danny (Angela Stovner) Jenson and Luke (Elicia) Jenson. 6 grandchildren-Brianna, Paisley, Jackson, Epiphany, Violet and Reagan. Sibling-Delores Jenson and many nieces and nephews.

Despite Roy’s hard fought battle with Prostate Cancer, he left our world on March 22, 2019. Roy will be missed by many.

A private service is being held. Condolences may be given through kerntzfuneralhome.com.

Paul Eugene Kyllonen, 57, of Fort Collins, CO passed away suddenly at Palmer Station Antarctica on October 23, 2018. He was born on June 11, 1961 to Eugene and Ellen Kyllonen in Ely MN. He graduated from Ely High School and Staples Vocational Technical Institute heavy equipment diesel mechanics program. Upon graduation he moved to W Palm Beach FL where he worked as a mechanic until 1991. His love of adventure and the environment led him to work for the next 27 years in Antarctica and Greenland supporting the work of scientists from around the world studying climate change and the effects of pollution. He had the unique distinction of working at every station on the continent of Antarctica and the nickname MacGyver for his ability to fix anything with little at hand. He crossed some of the most forbidding terrain on Earth as part of the traverse team that drove supplies to remote stations. Paul loved his close-knit family of Antarctic coworkers and the remote and challenging lifestyle.
Being an avid explorer, Paul backpacked in New Zealand and Europe and traveled with his kayak to Hawaii and any body of water he could find in Colorado. He drove endless miles on his motorcycle in the back roads to photograph nature and then share stories of his rides. Paul is greatly missed by his family and friends both near and far.
He is survived by two sisters, Amy (Tony) Tauzell and Gail (Gary) Himmerich, five nieces and nephews and 12 great nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Eugene and Ellen Kyllonen.
A celebration of Paul’s life will be held on Friday, April 26, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at Crossroads Church in Woodbury MN, 5900 Woodbury Drive, Woodbury MN 55129. In lieu of memorials, we encourage you to donate to a cause of your choice.
Paul’s family would like to express our most heartfelt thanks to the doctor and Paul’s family of coworkers and friends at Palmer Station who worked so hard to save him and for being by his side and providing love and encouragement to his last breath.