Obituaries

Maria Cecilia Mahl, 77, passed away surrounded by her family on January 1, 2020 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth, Minnesota.
Cecilia met and married Dick Mahl while she was completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Botany and he was serving in the U.S. Navy in the Philippines. She later earned her Masters degree from Alaska Pacific University.
Cecilia worked in Ely as a laboratory technician for 17 years for the U.S. Forest Service and in 1987 her family relocated to Anchorage, Alaska. She worked for ChemLab and the Department of Interior MInerals Management for 22 years. She and Dick returned to Ely after they retired where she enjoyed the company of terrific friends, playing cards, gardening, fishing and extensive traveling.
Cecilia is survived by her husband Dick, daughters Debbie Peterson and Cherri Forgash; and grandchildren Jennifer Peterson Kerchof (Robert) and Parker Forgash.

William D. Maki, 75, of Ely, passed away on Saturday, January 4, 2020 after a courageous battle with cancer and other health complications resulting from it. Bill was born to the late Andrew and Ann Maki on January 23, 1944. He married Jean Miklausich on July 3, 1965 and they enjoyed 54 years together.

Bill attended Ely schools, Vermilion Community College, and University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he earned his degree in business. After graduation, Bill taught accounting courses at Vermilion before becoming its business manager. In 1981, he became the chief financial officer of the Arrowhead Community College Region as its director of administrative services. After 30 years of service to higher education in northern Minnesota, he retired in 1997. He loved his family, especially his grandchildren, as well as being outdoors, gardening, doing projects around the house/cabin and Fortune Bay.

John Chester Ojala, 89, of Ely, passed away on January 1, 2020 at his home, Chester was born on February 14, 1930 to Taito and Esther (Riikola) Ojala. He worked in the "bullgang" at Reserve Mining in Babbitt and was married to Kathryn Koski on June 8, 1963.
He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters: Marge and Ardis and brother: Bill.
He's survived by his wife: Kathryn, son: Jon, nieces: Colleen and Cheryl and nephew: Dan.
As per Chester's wishes, there will be no funeral services. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

ARLENE JACOBSEN of Richfield, Minnesota passed away December 24 at her residence, The Pines Senior and Assisted Living Facility. She was 98 years old.

She was born April 23, 1921 in Hewitt, MN to Lloyd and Ella (Sycks) Bower. Shortly thereafter the family moved to Hibbing, MN where her parents farmed and her father worked as a railroad engineer in the Hull Rust mine.

Robert Gene Furniss, age 58, longtime resident of Ely, MN and formerly of Gridley, IL, died Sunday, December 29, 2019, in his home with family at his side. He was born April 20, 1961, in Galesburg, IL the son of Robert and Jean (Hagerty) Furniss. He attended school in Galesburg. He was united in marriage to Nancy Chin in 1983 in Galesburg.
Bob was the owner operator of Lake Auto in Ely, MN. He was a Harley-Davidson enthusiast, an avid gun collector, and a collector in-general.

Robert G. Kish, 71, of Ely Lake, passed away on Saturday, December 28, 2019 at the Boundary Waters Care Center in Ely. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

MILTON HARVEY NETZER, 80, of Ely, MN died Wednesday, December 25, 2019 on Christmas Day at Carefree Living in Babbitt, MN.
Milton was born on February 18,1939 at the family farm near Mikkelson, ND to Emil and Edna Netzer. His family moved to Jamestown, ND in 1945.
Milton went from a small farmhouse school in LaMoure County to Jamestown Lincoln Elementary School. He graduated from Jamestown High School in 1958. He attended Jamestown College in Jamestown, ND. Milton married Mary Catherine Tatarek on June 04,1960 at the St. James Catholic Church in Jamestown.
Milton delivered newspapers as a young boy. Then he worked at a tire shop. He also worked at the Jamestown Drive-in where he met his true love, Mary.

Bernard Passananti, 63, of Ely, passed away on Sunday, December 23, 2019 at the Boundary Waters Care Center in Ely.
Bernard is survived by his four siblings, John (Carole) of Tucson, Arizona; Stan (Joyce) of Ely, MN; Carol (Pat) Coffen of Lake Tomahawk, WI; Joan (Richard) Angiliri of Woodruff, WI.
Bernard was preceded in death by his parents, John and Rose Passananti and brother Frank.
He was a man with unparalleled carpentry skills and a brilliant mind. He was an inventor devising many inventions over his lifetime starting as a boy inventing a submarine.
A memorial will be scheduled for this coming summer.
Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

Katherine Ann (Rauscher) Scheuer, 88, died peacefully on December 21, 2019 at home in Ely, Minnesota.
She was born October 1, 1931 in International Falls, Minnesota to Gretchen and Nicholas Rauscher.
She graduated from International Falls High School and attended the College of St. Teresa in Winona earning a B.S. degree in business.
Katherine met and married Robert Scheuer while working as a social worker for Aitkin County.
Katherine and Bob moved to Ely in 1957 where they raised eight children.
She worked as a social worker at Ely Bloomenson Hospital, was a fifty-year AAUW member, and enjoyed cooking, baking, and reading.
In retirement, she was a tutor for Homework Club and served as a Global Volunteer teaching English in China.

Kenneth Joseph Schlueter, of Babbitt, Minnesota, went home to be with his Lord and Savior at Carefree Living in Babbitt on Saturday, December 14, 2019, surrounded by his loving family.

He was born on April 14, 1945 to Herbert and Mildred (Bomleny) Schlueter in Geneva, Illinois, graduating from West Chicago High School in 1963. After his first year of college, he was drafted into the U.S. Army as an infantryman in the First Division of the Imjin Scouts, serving in the DMZ in Korea.

“Sergeant Rock” attended University of Wisconsin at River Falls graduating with a major in Biology and a minor in Forestry. Ken worked for the MN DNR Fisheries in Bemidji, was a Game Warden in Wisconsin for one year, and retired in 2000 as a Conservation Officer in the Babbitt-Ely area with 24 years of service with the MN DNR. After retirement he pursued his passions of hunting, fishing, and trapping, and then started Game Warden Guide Service. Alaska was his favorite spot to visit.