Obituaries

WILLIAM C. (BILL) TROLAND
Nov 8, 1944 – Dec 18, 2020

Iron Range native, “Bill” Troland, passed away December 18th in the St. Cloud hospital; complications of pneumonia. He last resided in Monticello, MN.

WILLIAM CLARKE TROLAND, was born Nov 8, 1944, in Minneapolis but spent his childhood years in Virginia, moving to Babbitt in 1954. Graduating from Babbitt High School in 1963, he was a well-known athlete who played baseball and was captain of his Basketball & Football teams, winning Conference awards in both sports. He was an avid outdoorsman who loved duck hunting and fishing.

Apart from working at Reserve Mine in Babbitt, he became certified in drafting and moved to the Twin Cities area in the millwork industry, where he enjoyed a long career in project planning for major commercial projects.

Marion J. Bubash, 82, of Ely, passed away on Thursday, February 18, 2021 at her residence. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

Jack Henry Terava, 91, entered Heaven on Wednesday, December 16, 2020, at Good Samaritan Society Bethany in Brainerd, with his daughter, Rebecca, by his side. He was born on November 22, 1929, in Brainerd to T. Henry “Hank” and Sylvia (Setula) Terava.
He worked in electronics for Reserve Mining Company in Babbitt while building a home near One Pine Lake in rural Ely with his wife, Mary, and children, Dawn, Joelynn “Joey” and Sylvia.
Jack’s favorite pastimes were hiking, snowshoeing, canoeing, playing his accordion and fixing just about anything. Jack chose not to hunt or trap because he enjoyed all God’s critters. He proudly referred to himself as a Jack Pine Savage.
Jack returned to Brainerd in 1990, semi-retired and loved working part time outdoors at private and public campgrounds.

Teresa R. Maki Peterson, 86, died Saturday, February 13, 2021, at Carefree Living in Ely.
She was born in 1934 in Ely to Rose Lobe Maki and Robert Maki. She graduated from Ely high school in 1953, and married her high school sweetheart, David L Peterson, in 1955 in Ely.
David and Tess lived in White Salem WA, Juneau and Anchorage AK, Duluth MN, Dalton GA, New Ulm MN, and Minneapolis MN, during their 59 years of marriage.
They retired to Ely in 1997 to build their dream lake home, volunteered extensively in the community, and enjoyed visits from family and friends (usually along with a pile of sourdough pancakes and homemade goods).
She was proceeded in death by David, her brother Clayton Maki, her sister Roberta Wilson, her grandsons Oscar and Christopher, and granddaughter Ann. She is survived by her brother Gaylen Maki, her 5 children - Laura Schultz, Wendey Bush, Mark Peterson, Diane Peterson, Daryl Peterson, and nine grandchildren.

Wilbert W. Luhta, 95, peacefully passed into the arms of our Lord, Jesus, Feb.12, 2021, at his home in Ely.
He was the first born on March 29, 1925, at his parent’s farm in Waasa township in Embarrass, MN. He was an experienced truck driver and cat skinner in the logging and mining industry.
He is survived by his wife of 16 years, Joan (Carlson). His niece June (Wesley) Boyle, grt. niece Tammy (Mark) Phillips, and grt. nephew John (Sara) Robich, and Joan’s children, Karen (Craig) Thom and Donna (Leonard) Raati, grandchildren, great and great-great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents Charles and Helia Luhta, two brothers, Carlo and Melvin, one sister Lempi (Emil) Anderson, one niece, Ruth Anderson, and nephew Wilbert Anderson.
A gathering of family and friends to celebrate Wilbert’s life will be held later in the spring. Internment will be at the Waasa cemetery.

Theodore (Ted) Woland Schreffler Sr., 89, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021.
He was preceded in death by his brothers, John, Harold, Bud, George, Bruce; and his parents, Ben and Elizabeth Schreffler.
He grew up in Tomahawk, Wis. Ted served in the USMC from 1951-1953. Upon his release from the service, he met and married his lovely wife, Vondalee (Carpenter), in Isabella, Minn., in 1955.
In Isabella, he worked in the Tomahawk Craft Paper Company Camps until 1965. They moved to Ely, Minn., to raise their family of six. There, he worked in the timber industry, Schreffler Logging, with his sons until he retired in 2019.
He is survived by his wife, Vondalee, of 65 years; his children, Shelby (Greg) Hochman of Bloomington, Minn., Ted Jr. (Heather) of Eveleth, Minn., Glen (Melodee) of Babbitt, Minn., Eugene (Robbie) of Saint Paul, Minn., Roger of Ely, Minn., and James (Tricia) of Ely, Minn.; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews.

Barbara June Wells, 89, of Shelbyville, IL passed away at 1:21 p.m. Tuesday, February 9, 2021 in her residence.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, February 12, 2021 in First Christian Church, Shelbyville, IL with Rev. Kevin Ray officiating. Visitation will be from 10:00-11:00 a.m. Friday at the church. Please wear masks and practice social distancing. Burial will be in Glenwood Cemetery (Section B), Shelbyville, IL. Memorials may be given to First Christian Church, Shelbyville, IL. Arrangements are by Howe and Yockey Funeral Home Shelbyville, IL.

Rebecca (Becky) J. Erchul, 58, of Ely, passed away at home on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.
Becky was born on July 3, 1962 in Salida, Colorado to Jim and Josephine Black. She and her future husband Pat met in 1986, they were united in marriage in 1991 and moved to Ely in 1993.
Becky enjoyed her cats, especially “B” and Dragon, she loved her flowerbeds, the outdoors and camping at the Portage River.
She is survived by her husband Pat; daughters Nichole Herrle and Kaitlyn Erchul; son Aaron Herrle; brother Charlie Black; and sister Deborah Koch. She was preceded in death by her parents.
A celebration of life will be held later in 2021 at the Portage River.
Pat wishes to extend a special thank you to his sister Terri for the care she gave to Becky during her final months.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home.

Kathlyn Kainz Stone, 64, passed away peacefully at her home in Roseville, MN on February 4, 2021 after a spirited battle against cancer.
She was born and raised in Ely, MN, having graduated from Ely Memorial High School in 1975. She earned a BA degree in communications from UMD, and worked for nearly forty years as a writer for public relations offices at VCC, the Minnesota Trade Office, the American Academy of Neurology, and the U of M Health News Review. Her career allowed her to fulfill her love of travel to places both far and near.
Kathlyn was predeceased by her brother Keith in 1970, and by her parents Ione “Babe” and Norman Kainz in 2012 and 2013, respectively. She is survived by her daughter Welsa Stone of Roseville, from her marriage to Wesley Stone; her brothers Andrew (Louise) Kainz of Ely and Kristofer Kainz of New Berlin, WI; her aunt Doreen Bistis of Hermantown, MN; and numerous cousins.

John Robert Slabodnik, 91, passed away in his sleep on January 24, 2021 at home in Sedro-Woolley, Washington.
John was born in Ely, Minnesota as a second-generation Slovenian. He grew up with the nicknames of “Sonny” and “Slabs.” He graduated from Ely High School in 1947 and Ely Junior College (now Vermilion Community College) in 1949. He played basketball for both schools and loved to tell stories of his college team’s road trips in a Buick stretch limousine throughout northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
The day after his twentieth birthday, John enlisted in the U.S. Air Force pilot training program and was honorably discharged in November 1950. He began civil engineering studies at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. John then received a scholarship and went on to complete a property insurance program in 1954 at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, where he was a lifetime member of Theta XI fraternity.