Obituaries

Robert (Three Fingers) Heidvogel, 80, of Ely, passed away on Monday, August 16, 2021 at the Ely Bloomenson Community Hospital.. He was born Aug. 3 1941 and was from Omaha, NE.
He moved to Ely in 1998 and loved this country up here. He was a member of End of the Road Rendezvous.
Bob is survived by Sandy his partner of 39 years; Wendy daughter and Teresa granddaughter. He died Aug 16 2021 and was from Omaha, NE.
Moved here in 1998. He loved this country up here. There will not be any services.

Longtime Nikiski resident Gale H. Croft, 72, passed away Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021 at Central Peninsula Hospital from complications of sepsis, brain hemorrhage and strokes.
Memorial services will be 3 p.m Saturday, Aug. 28, at North Kenai Chapel, 53580 Kenai Spur Hwy. The service will be streamed live through youtube at https://nkchapel.org. Burial of her cremated remains will be in July 2022. Dan Teigen will officiate. A potluck will follow the service and please bring a dish of your choice.
Gale was born May 24, 1949 in Minnesota. She studied general college courses for 2 years while also being a nurse’s aide and caregiver.
Her family wrote, “Gale was born in Minnesota but a true Alaska through and through. She did home daycare for multiple families in Nikiski and all over the Peninsula for all ages from birth & newborn all the way through graduate and beyond. She retired from daycare work in the late 1990s.

Gary Keith Abney:
March 5, 1945 - August 13, 2021

Lawrence Edward “Pete” Davis of Ely passed away at Boundary Waters Care Center on August 9th, 2021. Pete was born in Duluth on August 23rd, 1926 to Herbert and Kaspara “Rose” Davis and grew up on the family dairy farm. Pete left school shortly after his 16th birthday in 1942 and joined the Merchant Marine. He sailed on the Great Lakes until the spring of 1943, then shipped out from the West Coast for the remainder of World War II. From the United States he received the WW II Victory Medal, Pacific Theater Medal, Merchant Marine Service Medal, Combat Bar, and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon. From the Philippine Government he was awarded the WW II Victory Medal, the Asia-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the Philippine Liberation with Combat Star Medal. Pete continued to sail after the war, including a voyage that took him from Baltimore to South America to Africa around the Horn; across the Indian Ocean back to Asia.

John Joseph Buchite, 76, of Ely, passed away of natural causes in his home on November 18, 2020. John was born on March 5, 1944 to Marion and Hubert Buchite in Ely, MN, where he grew up and lived his whole life.
John enlisted in the US Navy, US Army and Army National Guard. He proudly served in the Vietnam War and was honorably discharged from the military. After his military service, John held jobs in various fields, including a Maritime career working on ore boats, followed by several years with US Steel MinnTac and finally retiring as an over-the-road long haul trucker. Traveling became a passion for him and he had the fortunate opportunity to visit all 50 states.

James (Jim) Hilbert Rolando, 92, passed away on Thursday, July 22nd, 2021, at the Littlefork Care Center in Littlefork, MN.
Jim was born August 27, 1928, in Ely, MN, to James and Ellen (Toutloff) Rolando.
He was united in marriage on July 16, 1955, to Mary Maureen Gauer.

Robert (Bob) Joseph Champa Jr., 70, of Ely, Minnesota, passed away unexpectedly at his home on July 20, 2021.
He was born to parents Robert and Helen Champa on October 30, 1950 in Winton, Minnesota.
He graduated from Ely Memorial High School in 1969 and went on to study HVAC at Dunwoody Institute.
Bob worked as a Hvac Technician for 30 years in the Ely area. He retired from Starkman Oil Company in 1998.
He enjoyed hunting & fishing, splitting and stacking wood on his wood pile, morning coffee at the GEL, and spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren who he especially loved sharing his outdoor passions with. Bob spent countless hours teaching firearms safety to the youth of Ely and was honored with an award for 40 years of volunteer instructor service by the MN DNR.

Donald O. Niska, 85, of Ely, a proud U.S. Marine Corp Veteran, passed away at his residence on Thursday, July 15, 2021. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

Margaret “Marge” Swindlehurst, 83, of Silver Bay died on Monday, July 12, 2021 at Carefree Living.
She was born on September 2, 1937 to Michael and Margaret (Matanich) Paun in Ely, MN where she grew up and graduated from Ely High School in 1955. Marge was employed as a secretary for Hunkin for a short time before her marriage to Robert Swindlehurst in 1959. She then worked for Lake Superior School District for over 20 years in various positions.
Marge was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and a founding member of the Bay Area Artists. She enjoyed water-color painting, calligraphy, and was a renowned cook and baker.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Bob in 2013; sister, Ann Levar; brother, Stephen Paun; and niece, Linda Levar Powers.

Joshua Orcutt, 57, of Ely, passed away on Thursday, July 1, 2021 at his residence. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.