Obituaries: April 29, 2022

Donald C. Myntti
Donald Charles Myntti, 98, of Duluth, died on Saturday, April 23, 2022, at the Marywood Residence (Benedictine Living Community) on the campus of the College of St. Scholastica, surrounded by his loving family. A family burial service will be held graveside at a later date. Arrangements were made by the Cremation Society of Minnesota.  
The Myntti Family would like to thank the loving staff at Marywood for providing Don with excellent and devoted care, while maintaining his dignity and autonomy. The family wishes to commend Mark Wiita from St. Luke’s Community Care Team, and its hospice nurses, for the compassionate care they afforded Don at the end.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to UMD University for Seniors - Development Office, 1049 University Drive, Duluth, MN 55812 to honor Don’s commitment to life-long learning, or to the Mayo Clinic, Department of Development, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905 in gratitude for the excellent care Don received throughout his long life.
Don was born to Charles and Laura (Järvinen) Myntti in Chisholm, on Aug. 11, 1923, and grew up in Ely. His life, until the end, was animated by his “legacy values”, those values he held most dear and wished to pass on to his children: to work hard, do his best, and to earn the respect of all; to make his wife and children the center of his world; to nurture his life-long friendships; to follow his passion to see and know the world as a globe-trotter, and as a life-long learner; to choose optimism; to feed his unquenchable curiosity; to practice gratitude for having exceeded all expectations, and for his happy and healthy life; to celebrate his life-long attachment to the Iron Range and its people; and finally, to appreciate his Finnish roots and values.
Donald spoke Finnish exclusively at home until he began school at age seven. He described his boyhood in Ely and his summers at Co-op Point on Eagles Nest Lake (spent among the Finnish families of co-operators and iron ore miners) as “perfect”.  During his summers throughout his high school and college years, Don was happiest lost in the BWCA paddling with his best friend, Sig Olson Jr.  Immediately following graduation from Ely Memorial High School in 1941, Don and Sig set off for a memorable month in the Boundary Waters without packing much food, if any, fully confident that they could catch, hunt, and gather enough to keep themselves alive. They continued to paddle together as canoe guides every summer during college for Border Lakes Outfitters outside of Winton.
Don attended Ely Junior College for one year, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1945. He also graduated from the USNR Midshipman School at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.  
He married Rita J. Beron on Nov. 26, 1947, at St. Rose Catholic Church in Proctor. Over their married life, Don and Rita had five children and moved 25 times, criss-crossing the United States following Don’s mining and naval careers. Don and Rita decided to return to their beloved Northwoods and Lake Superior, retiring to Duluth in 1991.
Don was employed for 40 years by several major mining companies: Oliver Iron Mining Company (Minnesota), Kennecott Copper Corporation (Utah), Amax Coal Company (Indiana) and Exxon Minerals Company (New York City and Texas), and two major contractors: Western Contracting Corporation (Iowa) and Morrison Knudsen Corporation (Idaho). This was followed by 20 years of international consulting. He was recognized as a world-wide mining equipment expert with assignments in Inner Mongolia, Mauritania, Chile, Colombia, Canada, Jordan, Puerto Rico and Alaska.  He was a registered professional engineer in Minnesota, Utah and Idaho.
Don proudly served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War, retiring as a Lieutenant Commander – USNR. His passion for ships was legendary.
His memberships included the Kitchi Gammi Club (Duluth), Society of Mining Engineers (SME), Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), American Legion Post 342, Gitche Gumee Kiwanis Club, Propeller Club, and the Engineers Club of Northern Minnesota (ECNM). He was also a life member of the National Mining Hall of Fame in Leadville, Colo., and an active participant in the University for Seniors program at UMD.
Don and Rita traveled extensively throughout their lives within the United States and visited 65 countries. While in his 80s, he achieved his dream to visit Petra in Jordan and the Taj Mahal in India. Even at the end of his life, Don was ‘planning’ a final travel adventure to France and China, believing he had one last trip in him.
Please remember Don for a moment the next time you have the pleasure of taking a hot sauna followed by jumping into an invigorating northern Minnesota lake or when picnicking on the shore of Lake Superior!
Don’s survivors include four daughters, Dr. Cynthia Myntti (Dr. Bert Hirschhorn) of Minneapolis, Valerie Myntti (Frank Sherman) of Ely, Andrea Myntti-Groom (Michael Groom) of Mabank, Texas, and Laura Myntti (Michael Croak) of Madison, Wis.; one son, Charles Myntti of Tbilisi, Georgia; one brother, Steven Myntti of Minneapolis; many nieces and nephews, including John Prola of Richfield; seven grandchildren, Patrick Groom, Agatha Myntti Venters, Rebekah Sherman-Myntti, Ivie Myntti, Kirsi Myntti, Beron Selkregg and Mills Selkregg; and great-grandchildren, Charles and Arthur Venters. 
He was preceded in death by his wife of nearly 72 years, Rita; parents; and sister, Mrs. Paul (Ona) Prola.
 
Carol Przybylski
Carol Wattunen Przybylski, 89, of Ely, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital with her children by her side. A memorial service was held on Wednesday, April 27 at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Ely. Arrangements were with Landmark Funeral Home in Virginia.
Survivors include her children, Linda (Jim) Frisell, Nikki (Ed) Seliskar, Kevin (Sherry Renfro-Miron) Przybylski, Bob Przybylski, Barry (Nancy) Przybylski and Connie (Charlie) Thompson; grandchildren, Brendon (Laura Holter) Zorman, Jere (LaVerne) Murphy and Keith (Kari) Zorman, Bryan (Lisa) Seliskar and Jake (Melissa) Seliskar, Nick Przybylski and Lindsay Przybylski, Billy (Amanda) Przybylski, Ean (Samantha) Przybylski and Anna Przybylski, Zack Przybylski and Alex Przybylski, Austin (Linzie) Przybylski; 16 great-grandchildren; many in-laws; and numerous nieces and nephews.

James A. Hill Sr.
James Allan Hill Sr., 90, a lifelong resident of Soudan, died on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, at Essentia Health - Virginia Hospital. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 6 at Bauman’s Vermilion Funeral Home in Tower. A gathering time for family and friends will begin one hour prior to the service. Family services are provided by Bauman-Vermilion, a Bauman Family Funeral Home in Tower.
The family would like to give a heartfelt thanks to the staff of Vermilion Senior Living for the excellent and compassionate care Jim received. He made many friends in the ten months he was there.
Jim was born on Nov. 30, 1931, in Soudan, the son of James A. and Esther (Mackie) Hill. He was a graduate of Tower-Soudan High School and an honorably-discharged veteran of the United States Army, where he served overseas in the Korean War. Jim was united in marriage to Donna K. Branwall on March 4, 1955, at the Lutheran Church in Ely. He worked at Erie Mining Company and Reserve Mining Company and was the owner/operator of Hill’s Heating and Sheetmetal. Jim was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Soudan and the VFW. He enjoyed spending time at the cabin, fishing, gardening, and in his earlier years, hunting.  He was also known for his apple orchard. Jim was a chef and fantastic baker, baking all kinds of breads, pulla, buns and rolls. 
Jim is survived by his sons, Jim (Pam) Hill Jr. and Dan (Corrine) Hill, both of Soudan; sister, Joan Olson of Nebraska; granddaughter, Jodi (Nick) Levens, and great-grandchildren, Jackson, Elliot, Neva and Nixon, all of Tower; along with numerous extended family members and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Donna in 2021; sister, Shirley Dallas; and granddaughter, Kimberly Sunsdahl.

Michael H. Haney
Michael H. “Mike” Haney, 75, of Ely, died on Sunday, April 17, 2022, at Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital. According to Mike, “Nobody said life is fair,” and having lung cancer with tumors in the brain and spine certainly was not fair. Memorials may be made to Essentia Health East Range Hospice, 901 Ninth St. N, Suite 215, Virginia, MN 55792.
Mike was born on Sept. 26, 1946, in Chicago, Ill., to Marie Eva Ellenson and Hildon H. Haney. He met Margaret Gail Siltman on a blind date at Western Illinois University (Mike was in the class of 1969) in 1966. They married on Aug. 26, 1967, and were married over 53 years when he died. He was a loving and devoted husband.
Family was the most important thing to Mike. Daughters were not what he planned for, but he couldn’t have been more proud of his girls, Heidi Lynn Haney Favet and Lori Dianne Haney (June 10, 1974 – April 30, 1993). He was the kind of dad who made family dinners fun, planned vacations everyone looked forward to, and showed up to do the little and big things whenever he was needed. He went to every one of Lori’s very long dance recitals and never understood when judges couldn’t see she was clearly the best dancer. He wore Heidi’s college graduation medals and cords to work for weeks. His love for grandson Samuel S. Favet was strong enough to prompt a move to wintery Ely in 2007. Sam dubbed Grandpa Mike “The Grill King.” Mike loved to cook good food for people, and Sam was one of his biggest fans and regular sous chef.
Working gave Mike a strong sense of self-worth. As a teenager, he worked at the Village of Glenview’s public golf course. Over the years in Illinois, he worked at the Brat House, taught physical education at Dundee High School, managed Sundown Liquors and spent 23 years as the self-proclaimed head decorator (“HD”) for Brenner Furniture. After settling in Ely at age 62, he continued his strong work ethic with Sir G’s Restaurant and the Grand Ely Lodge. He worked until the cancer and treatments made him too weak to continue.
Mike’s favorite times were gathering with family and friends for a meal and a drink at the Grand Ely Lodge or on his deck. Those get-togethers won’t be the same without him.
Mike is survived by his wife, Gail; daughter, Heidi Haney Favet; grandson, Samuel S. “Sam” Favet; dear friends and family.
He was preceded in death by his daughter, Lori; and dear sister, Marcia Haney Godwin.