Obituaries - Oct. 12, 2018

Wilma M. Wagoner

Wilma Maxine Wagoner, 91, of Tower, passed away on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018, at Carefree Living in Ely. A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 15 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tower with Pastor Liz Cheney officiating. A gathering of family and friends will be for one hour prior to the service at the church. Arrangements are with Landmark Funeral Home of Virginia.

Wilma was born on Sept. 12, 1927, in Grand Rapids, the daughter of Willis and Margeta (Gonion) Bemis. She grew up on a farm near Cohasset with her father and eleven siblings. Her mom passed away when she was only a few years old, leaving her with much responsibility in helping to take care of a large farm and family. Wilma married the love of her life and best friend, Howard Wagoner of Deer River, in 1948. Wilma and Howard raised their kids in Tower, where Wilma stayed home to raise the family and manage the household while Howard was the Minnesota DNR District Forester. She and Howard were full partners in life, spending their free time camping, gardening, fishing, hunting, trapping, harvesting wild rice, and participating in rifle competitions. After retirement they traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and most of Canada, usually camping and often traveling via their Honda Gold Wing motorcycle. Their most memorable adventure was a six-week motorcycle trip to Alaska.

Wilma was an exceptional baker, cook, and seamstress. She was well known for her bread, cinnamon rolls, pies and meat pasties. She made most of her children’s clothes as they grew up including prom and wedding dresses. Wilma could fix just about anything that needed fixing and her favorite expression was “what a person could do is…” and then she fixed it.

Later in life Wilma worked at the Y Store and most recently (well into her 80s) as a waitress and pasty maker at the Tower Café. She was a beloved and nurturing grandmother and great-grandmother and also a dedicated member of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tower. She will be missed for her quiet strength, her work ethic, her generosity, her faith, her skills and kindness as a wife, mom and grandma - and her delicious baked goods!

Wilma is survived by her daughter, Linda Wagoner (Dave Akerson) of Tower and grandchildren Chris Mattson of Walker and Sherry (Larry) Floria of Remer; daughter, Barb (Kurt) Soderberg of Ely and grandchild Erin (Greg) Downing of Minneapolis; daughter, Karen (Wayne) Dahl of Embarrass and grandchildren Lance (Patty) Dahl of Rochester and Angela Dahl of Moorhead; son, Terry (Jill) Wagoner of Tower and grandchildren HollyAnn (Steve Jowers) of Biwabik, Jared (Michelle) Wagoner of Embarrass and Liz Wagoner (Patrick McDonald) of St. Paul; twelve great-grandchildren; three siblings, Shirley Schultz of Deer River, Edna Karjalahti of Spokane, Wash., and Bill Bemis of Cohasset.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Howard Wagoner in 1998; and eight siblings.

Cedric C. Schuster

Cedric Chase Schuster, 23, of Gheen, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 12 at the First Baptist Church in Cook. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Arrangements are with Mlaker Funeral Home of Cook.

Cedric was born to Dennis and Annette (Geyer) Schuster on Dec. 13, 1994, in Hibbing. He attended school in Orr and then attended North Woods School, graduating in 2014. Cedric started working in construction and then drove truck for Tom Long. His most recent employment was with St. Louis County as an equipment operator.

Cedric loved the outdoors. He loved being with his friends and family. Most importantly, he loved spending time with his daughter. Cedric was always going on adventures when he wasn’t at work or working on his vehicles. He also liked to just stay home to watch movies and play video games. He had a lot of friends and could always make them laugh. Cedric will be deeply missed by his family and friends.

He is survived by his father, Dennis Schuster; mother, Annette Geyer; daughter, Peyton Schuster; mother of his child, Andrea Simonson; sisters, Sydney Schuster, Sheyenne Schuster and Sierra Schuster; niece, Evelyn Shermer; uncles, Stanley Schuster Jr. and Bruce Schuster; great-uncles, Gene Goodsky and Harold Goodsky; and stepmother, Marsha Tomazin.

Cedric was preceded in death by his grandfather, Stanley Schuster Sr.

Lorene B. Johnson

Lorene Beverly “Bev” Johnson, 81, of Tower, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. A Celebration of Life was held on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at the First Baptist Church in Cook. Arrangements were with Mlaker Funeral Home in Cook.

Bev was born to Laurie and Vienna (Milbridge) Tuominen on April 19, 1937, in Soudan. She attended Embarrass School, graduating in 1955. In 1956 she was crowned “Miss Embarrass”. In 1958 she was united in marriage to Donald Johnson. They were blessed with two sons, Keith and Ricky.

Bev’s life was centered around her love for Jesus and family. She was a devoted wife and mother who was always joyful and loved having friends in her home. She truly cherished her family and friends. Bev was also a devoted member of the First Baptist Church in Cook.

Bev loved going for long walks, enjoying the outdoors and all the sights of nature. Her family lovingly remembers her great laugh and her generous spirit. She was always there to lend a helping hand. Bev can be best described as someone who “brought sunshine wherever she went.”

Bev is survived by her sons, Keith (Trish) Johnson and Ricky (Cheryl) Johnson; grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Bianca Colley and her daughter Natalia Colley; Royce (Jessica) Johnson and their children Fischer and Hunter; Allanna (Joshua) Critchlow and their children Callan and Ruby; Austin Johnson; Larissa (Tyler) Campbell and their children Eliam and Edelyn; Justin Johnson; Azalea (Hannibal) Wolong; Ariel (Mike) Wolf and their son Niel; Channyn (Sam) Hess and their daughter Cayllie; sister, Joyce Wiitala; and brothers, Carl Tuominen, Laurie Jr. Tuominen and Michael Tuominen.

Bev was preceded in death by her parents; beloved husband, Donald “Pee Wee” Johnson; and brother, Jim Tuominen.

Marion L. Korpi

Marion Louise Wahlstrom Korpi, 85, formerly of Soudan, peacefully entered her heavenly home on Friday, Sept. 28, 2018, with her family by her side at Arbor Lane Memory Care in Burnsville. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 11 a.m., on Saturday, Oct. 13 at Ebenezer Ridges Chapel in Burnsville with visitation at 10 a.m. Burial will be at Lakeview Cemetery in Tower at a later date.

Survivors include her children, Juliann and husband Peter Berg, Jennifer and husband Alan Fredrickson; and grandchildren, Lauren and Samuel Berg.

Florence K. Brunner

Florence Kathleen Rauch Brunner, 86, of Angora, passed away on Friday, Oct. 5, 2018, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth, surrounded by her loving family. A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Thursday, Oct. 11 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Cook. Arrangements were with Mlaker Funeral Home in Cook.

She is survived by her husband, Linus Brunner; children, Gwen (Timothy) Towne, Alan (Diane) Brunner and Jay (Ellie) Brunner; grandchildren, Lee (Crystal) Towne, Kaylee (Ben) Westin, James Brunner, Ashley Sarazine and Niko (Ashley Alto) Sarazine; six great-grandchildren; brothers, Tom Rauch and Bob Rauch; brother-in-law, Kenny Brunner; sister-in-law, Gwili Brunner; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Casey D. Martin

Casey Dean Martin, 24, of Virginia, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018, at his residence. Funeral services were held on Friday, Oct. 5 at Pike Apostolic Lutheran Church in Pike Township with Pastor Donald Salo and Jon Salo co-officiating. Burial was at Vermilion Lake Township Cemetery. Arrangements were with Range Funeral Home in Virginia.

He is survived by his mother, Lisa Neari; stepfather, Paul Neari; father, Willy Martin; sons, Liam and Robert and their mother, Kylee Gill; siblings, Ashley Riihiluoma, Seth (Valerie) Riihiluoma, Tracy Martin, Josey (Derek) Erickson, Jesse (Mykell) Martin, Wyatt Martin, Jake Neari and Brooke Neari; grandparents, Joann Martin, Kay Salo and Lydia Nygaard; numerous nieces, aunts, uncles and cousins.