Obituaries

Jan 18, 2026

Hancock

Bonnie J. Zerbst, 75, a resident of Hancock, passed away Sunday, January 18, 2026, at the Medora House of Portage Pointe in Hancock, where she has been a resident patient for the past year.

She was born on October 16, 1950, in Detroit, MI, a daughter of the late Uno and Elise (Ruohonen) Forsman. As a child, she moved with her...

Jan 18, 2026

Hancock     Frederick “Fred” (Ruth) Ruelle, 81, a resident of Hancock, passed away Sunday morning, January 18, 2026, at the UP Health System –Portage Hospital in Hancock.

He was born on March 18, 1944, in Hancock, a son of the late Bernard and Ruth (Milford) Ruelle. Fred was raised in Hancock and was a graduate of the Hancock High School with...

Jan 17, 2026

Onnela

Christine (Nils) Ruonavaara,74, a resident of Onnela, passed away Saturday, January 17, 2026, at her home, following a lengthy illness.  She was born on November 2, 1951, in Hancock, a daughter of the late Alvin and Verna (Riutta) Johnson. Christine was raised in Houghton and was a graduate of the Houghton High School with the class of 1969.

Following high school,...

Jan 13, 2026

Arlington, TX

Ann Marie “Soumis” Elliott, 73, passed away peacefully on January 13, 2026, surrounded by love and the legacy of her family.

Born to Walter and Virginia Soumis, Ann was raised in Chassell and spent most of her life in the Arlington TX, area.

Ann’s family will gather later this year to privately lay her to rest next to her parents in...

Jan 10, 2026

HoughtonShirley Ann (Cooperider) Arvo was born on December 29, 1934, inUnionville Center, Ohio, to William (Lloyd) and Sylvia Aliina(Lassila) Cooperider.At the age of three, her family moved to Hancock, MI. She was raisedin Hancock and graduated from the Hancock High School with the classof 1953. After graduating, she attended Suomi College/ FinlandiaUniversity. She moved to Detroit in the summer of...

Jan 7, 2026

Liminga

Alfred E. Britz, 77, a resident of Liminga, passed away on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at the UP Health System - Portage Hospital following a lengthy illness.

He was born on December 25, 1948, in Hancock, a son of the late William and Flora (Erickson) Britz. Alfred was raised outside of Houghton and was a graduate of Houghton High with the...

Jan 6, 2026

Dollar BayGloria J. (Gene) Taylor, 86, a former resident of Dollar Bay, passedaway Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at Our Lady of Mercy Convalescent Homein Hubbell, where she had been a resident patient.She was born on February 25, 1939, in Mohawk, MI, a daughter of thelate Arne and Irene (Kemppainen) Johnson. As a child, she moved withher family to Hubbell and...

Jan 1, 2026

Chassell

Charles V. “Chuck” Roberts, 78, a resident of Chassell, suddenly passed away on Thursday, January 1, 2026, from an apparent heart attack.

He was born on June 3, 1947, in Duluth, MN, a son of the late Charles H. and Phyllis (Raabe) Roberts. As a child, he moved with his parents to make their home in Houghton and Chuck graduated from...

Dec 27, 2025

Dodgeville



Cindy M. Dunstan, 57, a resident of Dodgeville, passed away on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at St Mary’s Hospital in Green Bay, WI, following a short illness.

Cindy was born on August 27, 1968, to James and Maryanne, (Mia Hietala) Dunstan and was a graduate of Houghton High School, class of 1986.

Cindy was a very loving and giving mother, daughter, sister,...

Dec 16, 2025

Dodgeville, MIHelen (Riutta) Knuuti passed away on December 16, 2025, while being lovingly cared for by family.Born November 13, 1936, in Hancock, Michigan, Helen spent her childhood years living in Hancock with her parents, older brothers, and her younger sister Gert, eventually moving to the “Riutta” farm.She married Wilho Knuuti in 1957 and had three children, Donald, Linda, and Jane.Wilho’s...

Dec 15, 2025

Chassell

Martha Jane Sohlden was called home to our Lord on December 15, 2025 after an extended illness. Thankfully, she was visited by many of her family members in the fall of 2025 with meaningful interaction. This included her sharing sweet memories and hugs. She was sharp enough to identify photos and tell us about family history.

She was born October 31,1949...

Dec 14, 2025

Houghton

Lois (Charles) Young, 82, a resident of Houghton, passed away on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at Intersect Health in Hancock, where she had been a resident patient.

The Memorial Chapel Funeral & Cremation Service – Hancock Chapel is assisting the family with the arrangements.

Dec 13, 2025

Houghton

David E. Pyykkonen, 84, a resident of Houghton, passed away on Saturday, December 13, 2025, at the Omega House in Houghton.

He was born on January 10, 1941, in Pelkie, MI, son of the late Abel and Lillian (Moilanen) Pyykkonen. David was raised in Pelkie and attended the Baraga Schools.

Mr. Pyykkonen was a veteran, having served with the United States Army...

Dec 13, 2025

Dollar Bay

Sylvia “Cookie” Datto, 83, of Dollar Bay, passed away peacefully on December 13th, 2025, at the Omega House following a short illness.

She was born in Detroit to Katherine (Butkovich) Hill and World War II Veteran, Richard Bruce Hill. After her father was killed in action during the battle of Iwo Jima, Cookie moved to Hancock with her mother and...

Dec 11, 2025

Toivola

Shirley M. Luukkonen, 90, a former Toivola resident, passed away on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at Intersect Healthcare of Hancock.

A service for Shirley will take place in the spring in the Toivola Cemetery.

The Memorial Chapel Funeral & Cremation Service - Mt View Chapel of South Range is assisting the family with the arrangements.

Dec 5, 2025

Dollar Bay

Mary B. Harju, 96, a resident of Portage Pointe and former Dollar Bay resident, passed away on Friday, December 5, 2025, at the Pewabic House of Portage Pointe in Hancock.

Mary was born on November 25, 1929, in Mohawk, MI to the late Charles and Odivine (Duhaime) Goulette. She attended the Mohawk School.

On May 5, 1949, Mary was united in...

Dec 4, 2025

Liminga

Natalie M. Jurkanis, 85, a resident of the Arbor Green Senior Living Community of Houghton and a former Liminga resident, passed away Thursday, December 4, 2025, at HSHS St. Vincent's Hospital in Green Bay.

She was born on January 25, 1940, in Toivola, a daughter of the late Rafael and Sylvia (Perala) Maki. As a child, Natalie was raised in Toivola...

Dec 1, 2025

South Range

Gretchen Elizabeth Ovist, 71, a resident of South Range, passed away peacefully on December 1, 2025, at Canal View -- Houghton County, surrounded by the love of her family and friends.

Gretchen was born on October 17, 1954, in Hancock, to the late William and Viola (Luoma) Congdon. She was a graduate of Hancock High School with the class of...

Nov 27, 2025

Freda

Mary Linda was born in 1951 to Vincent and Lucille Morin. A proud Yooper, Mary lived in Freda for the majority of her life. Through her work at the West End Grocery and Schmidt's Corner Store, Mary engaged with many members of her community, offering stability, kindness, and a listening ear to those in need. Mary spent her later years...

Nov 25, 2025

Hurontown

Vicki Lindell, 61, a resident of Hurontown, passed away on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at UP Health System - Marquette following a lengthy illness.

The Memorial Chapel Funeral & Cremation Service - Hancock Chapel is assisting the family with the arrangements which will be announced at a later time.