Obituaries

A celebration of Leonard Bauman’s life will take place on Saturday, April 30th, 2022 at 11 a.m. in St. Michael’s Catholic Church, 4901 E Superior St. Duluth, MN.
Burial at Calvary Cemetery - 4820 Howard Gnesen Rd. Duluth MN, followed by lunch at UUCD - 835 W. College St. Duluth.
Please join us in remembering and honoring Len!

Tom Julian
January 23, 1939 - March 11, 2022
Tom Julian, 83, of Babbitt passed away peacefully at home with loved ones by his side after a long and valiant fight with cancer.

Mary Ellen Karakash, 76, of Mt. Iron, died on March 6, 2022 from COVID.

Anthony John “Tony” Pecha, age 70 of Tower died Thursday, March 3, 2022 of natural causes while snowmobiling.
He was born April 4, 1951 in Soudan, the son of and Anthony and Rose Marie (Kalsich).
Tony grew up in Soudan and was a graduate of Tower-Soudan High School; where he was the school’s leading basketball scorer, scoring over 1,000 points back before the three-point shot!
He received his Associate in Arts degree from Vermilion State Junior College in 1971. While at Vermilion, Tony was a two-year starter for the Ironmen basketball team earning All-State Team and All-State Tournament Team honors. He attended St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry with minors in Math and Secondary Education.

William "Bill" Makela, formerly of Ely, passed away on Friday, March 4, 2022 at Southview Acres Healthcare Center in West St. Paul. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

RAYMOND ANTON PECHEK
Age 90 of Buffalo, MN passed away peacefully on 2/16/22. He was a dear sweet man with a wonderful sense of humor until the very end. He was born on 1/6/1932 to Anthony (Tony) & Frances (Fannie) Pechek in Ely, MN. In recent months he was a resident at Havenwood Memory Care facility, in Buffalo, MN.
Ray grew up in Ely where he played basketball in high school and got the nickname Ribsy. During the summers he was a fishing guide for Rom outfitters. He graduated from Ely Memorial High School in 1949. He earned his Associate of Arts degree at Vermilion Community College in Ely, in 1951 and a Bachelor of Science Degree from St. Cloud University in 1953 where he met the love of his life Sharron Bahneman.

(Laveta) Anne Swenson, age 85, known as Anne, died at Virginia Regional Medical Center in Virginia, Minnesota on March 2, 2022.
She was born on March 27, 1936 in Blue Island, Illinois to Golda (Standard) and Eugene M. Swenson of Hazel Crest, IL.
Anne was the mother of two children: Nicholas and Sandra Anne.
Anne Swenson was the publisher of the Ely Echo weekly newspaper from 1977 to 2021. She had also been employed as a waitress, payroll clerk, retail clerk, camp counselor, crafts instructor, book buyer, record buyer, assistant store manager, writer and columnist. Her column in the Echo was known as “From the miscellaneous drawer.”
During her lifetime she resided in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, California and Rome, Italy. She found her true home in Ely, Minnesota.

Maxine Popovich, 98, formerly of Ely, passed away on February 28, 2022, at Carefree Living Assisted Living in Virginia, Minnesota.
Maxine was preceded in death by husband Mark and daughter Caroline.
She is survived by daughter Judith Vimont, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely, with interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.

Cynthia M. Shober, age 63, passed away peacefully on February 20, 2022 with her family by her side after a 40 year struggle with Multiple Sclerosis.
Cyndy was born in Ely on September 5, 1958 and graduated from Ely Memorial High School in 1976 after which she moved to Minneapolis.
Cyndy was preceded in death by her father, Albert F. Shober. She will be sadly missed by mother, Rose Marie Shober; Daughter, Sarah Watson (Leonard) and 5 grandchildren; Sisters, Cathleen Shelstad (Krist) and Carrie Shober; Brothers Albert J. Shober (Sherri) and Daniel Shober (Linda). Cyndy will also be missed by her numerous nieces, nephews and 1 grandnephew.
We will all miss Cyndy’s brave and bright smile which she never lost no matter how difficult the struggle became. She never complained or gave up until she was called to do so. We will all remember her and love her for what she endured so bravely.

William "Bill" Koski Jr., formerly of Embarrass, passed away on Monday, February 28, 2022 at The Waterview Woods in Eveleth. Familly arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.