Obituaries

John R. Shuster, 71, of Ely, passed away on Sunday, August 4, 2019 at the Boundary Waters Care Center in Ely.
John was born on August 20, 1947 in Los Angeles, California to John “Chuck” and Dorothy Shuster. John was a 1966 graduate of Ely High School. After graduation, John joined the Coast Guard. Later in 1980 he joined the Army National Guard.
He was preceded in death by his father John “Chuck” Shuster.
He is survived by his two daughters; Becky (RJ) Roenke of Keewatin, MN; Cathy (Jason) Jones of Grand Rapids, MN; his mother, Dorothy Shuster of Ely, MN; one sister, Lynn (Tony) Haasl of Sacred Heart, MN; two grandsons, Thaddeus and Quentin Buroker, and one granddaughter, Summer Jones.
A family gathering will be held at a later time.
Cards can be sent to: Becky Roenke, PO Box 456, Keewatin, MN 55753 or Cathy Jones, 33300 Wagon Wheel Court Rd 2A, Grand Rapids, MN 55744.
Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

Patricia Ramona Muhvich, 77, of Ely, passed away on Friday, August 2, 2019 at the Boundary Waters Care Center in Ely. She was born in Ely on September 23, 1941 to parents Ellia and Joseph R. Kobe.
Pat married George Muhvich on May 19, 1962 in St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Ely. Pat worked at the Ely Medical Center and also as an EMT at Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital until she retired in 2006. She was very dedicated to her profession. She was also a member of the St. Louis County Rescue Squad.
Her most favorite times were spent with her family. She raised two sons, Michael and Bill, for which she was truly proud of – with the most pleasure in her life were her grandchildren, Angelica, Jordan, Erin, Marlee and Michael. “I will always love all of you!”

Beverley Caroline Skogen, 79, was released from her physical body, five years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Her daughters were by her side.
She was born in 1939 to Clarence and Dorothy Bildeaux. She spent her early childhood in and around Danbury, WI. For the next 25 years she lived in logging camps in NE Minnesota. She lived many years in Ely, MN, where she raised her family and worked at several restaurants and stores, including Pamida and Piragis Northwoods Company.
She was a natural caretaker. She was there no matter what the circumstance. She saw the good in everybody.
She enjoyed picking agates and berries, hunting deer and grouse, and loved being outside.
She was proud of her Ojibwe heritage and learned all she could so she could pass that on to her family.
Her family was her greatest joy. She savored every moment she had with her grandchildren.

After a long fight with vascular dementia, Frank Joseph Jerich, 90, passed away Wednesday, July 24, 2019 in Palm Desert, CA. He leaves his wife of 55 years, Patricia Fairbanks (Doyle) Jerich; his daughter, Susan Jerich and his son, Frank Jerich, Jr. He led a life devoted to public service.
Born and raised in Ely, Minnesota, the son of Slovenian immigrants, Joseph Jerich and Frances Levstek, he enlisted in the United States Navy while attending college in Minnesota. After graduating from the University of Minnesota, Mr. Jerich spent the next twenty years of his life in the navy retiring at the rank of commander.
After retiring from military service, Mr. Jerich moved his family to Wayzata, Minnesota from the Washington D.C. area. Mr. Jerich was employed with Honeywell before retiring and relocating to Palm Desert, California in 1999 with his wife Pat in order to be closer to their children.
Mr. Jerich had a passion for his family, polka music, and ice cream.

Jessica R. (Lohman) Gurubel age 32 of Hibbing, passed away Wednesday, July 24, 2019 at her home. She was born June 13, 1987 to Lance and Julie (White) Lohman in Ely, MN. Jessica was a 25 year resident of Hibbing. She attended Hibbing High School and was a waitress at Sportsman’s for 8 years. Jess was a Mario Kart fanatic and enjoyed barbecues and spending time with people close to her. One of her favorite memories was attending the Llama Run in Hammond, WI. Jess loved her children dearly, the most important thing to her were family and friends. Jessica is survived by her husband, Ramon, children, Brandon James and Sienna Rose, parents, Lance and Julie, brothers, Michael and Eric (Mara) Lohman, paternal grandparents, Larry and Barb Lohman and maternal grandparents, Don (Cathy) White and Marianne Donovan, many aunts, uncles, cousins and close friends. Funeral service will be held 11 am Friday, August 2, 2019 at Dougherty Funeral Home in Hibbing.

Lori Jean Rodriguez, 58, of Ely, died on July 18, 2019 at home in Cook.

Peggy Lee (Starkman) Kainz, 61, died on July 21, 2019 at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth, unexpectedly. She was born on March 23, 1958 to Karen (Starkman) Jiacik and Terry Ostrander in Ely. She was adopted and raised by her loving parents Charles and Lillian Starkman.

She spent most of her summers on Eagles Nest where she learned to fish and sunbath. Peggy enjoyed relaxing by the lake, going on vacations with her children, friends and family. Peggy attended high school at Ely Memorial High with the Class of 1976. She loved her classmates and always looked forward to their reunions.

Alan J. Rhein, 82, of Ely passed away on July 16, 2019, at the Ely Bloomenson Community Hospital.
Alan was born in Ely on March 20, 1937, to George and Alice Rhein and was a lifelong resident. He graduated from Ely Memorial High School and attended Ely Junior College. In 1958, he married Betty Koschak and together they raised two sons, Keith and Gregory and daughter Susan.
His work career began at the Ely Post Office. He then spent 26 years working for Reserve Mining. After retiring from Reserve Mining, he spent 10 years driving school bus for the Ely schools.
Alan was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church having served as a trustee, an elder and treasurer. In his spare time, he enjoyed fishing, trapping, hunting and camping. In his retirement, Alan enjoyed traveling, especially to Alaska and Hawaii.

CARLSON (Murphy), Patricia Jean, age 87, of Brainerd, went to be with her Love in Heaven on July 11, 2019. Preceded in death by her husband, Calvin Carlson; parents, Richard and Hilda Murphy; 6 siblings; great grandson, Tate Strege; daughter in-law, Joy Carlson. She will be missed by her children, Bob, Mary (Bruce) Carlson Pap, Tim (Alice), Bill (Lisa), Jen (Mike) Owens, Patrick; 17 Grandchildren; 25 Great Grandchildren; one great great grandson; nephews, Carl “Sonny” Buraglio, Richard “Corky”and Conrad Scullard; niece, Tammy Crosby; many relatives and good friends. Per her wishes, private family Mass and Interment.

Alan J. Rhein, 82, of Ely, passed away on Tuesday, July 16, 2019 at the Ely Bloomenson Community Hospital. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.