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Helen B. Blackburn
Helen B. Blackburn, 87, of Duluth died Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2001, in St. Mary's Medical Center.
She was born Oct. 20, 1913, in Bemidji, Minn., to Walter and Antoinette Moody. She was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church. She married
W.A. "Mike" Blackburn in 1938.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Mike in 1988; her parents; and a sister, Mildred Larson.
Helen is survived by sons Marc and James Blackburn, both of Duluth; a daughter, Patricia Blackburn of Minneapolis; a brother, Kenneth (Myrt) Moody of Barron, Wis.; sisters Florine Brune of Bemidji and Berdella Stahoski of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.; grandchildren Meg Elston, Michael Blackburn, Jacqueline (Craig) Pionk, Michelle (Steve) Aleff and Jessica Blackburn; four great-grandchildren; 14 close nieces and nephews; and many relatives and friends.
Her humor, her joy of life and her loving spirit will be sadly missed by all who knew her.
Visitation: noon until the 1 p.m. service today in Williams-Lobermeier Funeral Home, the Rev. Father Andy Knop officiating. Interment in Oneota cemetery. Memorials preferred to St. Mary's Hospice. The family requests that you hug your mother, if you're lucky enough to still have her.
Agnes Finn Sollberger
Agnes Finn Sollberger, 85, of Wichita Falls, Texas, died Thursday, Feb. 22, 2001, in Wichita Falls.
Agnes was born in Duluth Feb. 12, 1916, and was a retired seamstress.
She is survived by sons William Finn of Wichita Falls and Stephen Finn; a daughter, Marisia Finn of Wichita Falls; a brother, Robert Finn of Anchorage, Alaska; eight grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
No service scheduled at this time. Arrangements by Owens & Brumley Funeral Home, Wichita Falls.
Michael David Grandi
Michael David Grandi, 47, of Duluth passed away unexpectedly Monday, Feb. 12, 2001.
He was born Jan. 8, 1954, to Dante Sr. and Marion (Rendal) Grandi in Duluth. Michael attended St. Clement's School and graduated from Duluth Denfeld High School in 1972. He worked for Franklin Foods for more than 20 years and was a former member of St. Clement's Catholic Church. He was a member of Teamsters Union Local 346. Michael was an avid golfer, loved to play cribbage and participated in many sports throughout the year.
Michael was preceded in death by his father, Dante Sr. in 1979; and a nephew, Jamie Westman in 1972.
Mike was loved and will be sadly missed by all his family and numerous friends. He is survived by his mother, Marion Grandi; a sister, Marilyn (Randy) Haglin; brothers Dante Jr. (Jackie) Grandi, Patrick (Jaylynn) Grandi and Anthony (Tracy) Grandi, all of Duluth; nephews Scott (Julie) Westman, Dante Grandi III, Ryan Grandi and Sean Oland; nieces Natalie Diver, Melanie Westman, and Sara and Alexandra Grandi; and great-nieces Danica, Alana and Madison.
Visitation: 11 a.m. until the 1 p.m. service today in Holy Family Catholic Church. Burial in Sunrise Memorial Park. Arrangements by Fred Olson Mortuary.
Alice Mary Baldwin
Alice Mary Baldwin, 90, of Baudette, Minn., formerly of Duluth died Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2001.
She is survived by a daughter, Faye Fallon of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; grandchildren Traci Ellis, Kristine Zingaro and Michael Fallon; and four great-grandchildren.
Visitation: 1 until the 2 p.m. service Friday in First Lutheran Church, Baudette. Interment in Elm Park cemetery, Baudette. Arrangements by Helgeson Funeral Chapel, Baudette.
Shelley Martha Greene Gunn
Shelley Martha Greene Gunn, 80, of Faith Haven Apartments passed away Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2001, in St. Luke's Hospital.
She was born Aug. 7, 1920, to William and Nina Richardson in Duluth. She graduated from Denfeld High School and worked for F.W. Woolworth in West Duluth, Wahl's Department Store, Fanny Farmer and Title Wave Bookstore.
Shelley was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, William F. Richardson; a son, Richard Greene Jr.; her first husband, Richard Greene; and her second husband, J.B. Gunn.
She is survived by a son, Michael (Barbara) Greene of Duluth; a sister, Mary Chipman of Duluth; and her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Memorial service: 1 p.m. Friday in Bell Brothers Chapel. Burial in Oneota cemetery. Memorials to the American Heart Association or American Cancer Society would be appreciated. Arrangements by Bell Brothers Funeral Directors-Bell Brothers Chapel, 601 N. 56th Ave. W.
Edna Florence Todd
Edna Florence Todd, 93, of St. Paul Lutheran Home, Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada, passed away peacefully Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001, in her residence.
Edna was born Nov. 2, 1907, in Duluth to Lawrence and Agnes (Kaminski) Ignasiak. She grew up and received her education in Duluth, where she worked and eventually owned her own beauty shop. She also worked several years in Melville as a beautician.
On Jan. 29, 1955, Edna was united in marriage to William Todd and took pride establishing a home on their farm in the Brewer district for several decades.
Edna excelled in her ability to provide a warm, friendly home with excellent meals for her husband and guests. Edna was an active member of St. Henry's Parish in Melville, the St. Bernard Club and St. Peter's Hospital Auxiliary.
She was preceded in death by her husband, William; brothers Lawrence and Edward; and sisters Katherine and Mary Agnes.
Edna is survived by a stepson, Richard Todd; eight step-grandchildren; a sister, Frances McCauley; nieces Kathy Hamer and Diane Beeby; as well as other nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews, all in the United States. Edna was also a "grandmother" to her great-niece, Stacey.
Mass of Christian burial was celebrated Feb. 14 in St. Henry's Roman Catholic Church, Melville, Saskatchewan. Interment in St. Henry's Parish cemetery. Arrangements by Bailey's Funeral Home, Melville, (306) 728-5488.
Michael "Mickey" Madich Sr.
Michael "Mickey" Madich Sr., 74, of Duluth and Chisholm died Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2001, in Duluth after a brief battle with cancer.
He was born July 30, 1926, raised in Buhl and spent most of his life in Duluth. Mike was an equipment operator for the city of Duluth Parks and Recreation Department for 30 years and retired in 1984. He served in World War II and the Korean War with the 24th Division of the Army. He was a life member of the VFW and 24th Infantry Division Association. His favorite pastime was playing his button box accordion.
Mike was preceded in death by a son, Rory in 1976; his parents, Rade and Luby; brothers Daniel and Robert; and sisters Mary Bush, Sophie Fischer and Dorothy Worten.
He is survived by a daughter, Tina (Jeff) Watts of Oak Harbor, Wash.; a son, Michael of Chisholm; his former wife and special friend, Bernadine "Berny" Madich; a brother, Alexander "Chick" of Chisholm; a sister, Delores Kates of Winter Haven, Fla.; grandchildren Amanda, Lauren and Aaron Watts; and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation: 10 until the 11 a.m. service Saturday in Jarvi-Dowd Chapel. Dr. Alan Cutter officiating. Arrangements by Bell Brothers Funeral Directors, Jarvi-Dowd Chapel, 925 E. Fourth St.
Robert Mitchell Silliman
Robert Mitchell Silliman, 87, died Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001, in Baltimore.
He was born, raised and educated in Duluth and had resided in Washington, D.C., Hillandale and Burnt Mills Hills, Md.
For more than 70 years since early high school, he had been involved with radio communications and engineering, earning his bachelor of electrical engineering degree at the University of Minnesota in 1936. Together with his boyhood friend, Robert Gilruth (later of NASA), Mr. Silliman worked under the direction of Dr. Jean Piccard on the latter's high-altitude balloon experiments of the 1930s.
He served as an engineer with the Federal Communications Commission, Radio Research Laboratory at Harvard University (during World War II), the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics and commenced his 50-year practice as a radio consulting engineer in 1946.
Always an innovator, he was granted several patents for aeronautical and broadcasting antennas and was one of the first to apply electronic computer techniques to antenna design. He began a parallel career as an antenna manufacturer in 1947 as a consultant to Electronics Research Inc. of Evansville, Ind., later purchasing the firm and serving as its president and then chairman of the board of directors.
Mr. Silliman, a registered professional engineer in multiple jurisdictions, was a member and past president of the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers, a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a member of the Radio Pioneers and a member of the Cosmos Club. He was presented with the Lifetime Radio Engineering Achievement Award from the National Association of Broadcaster in 1993.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years and high school sweetheart, Elizabeth (Peterson); daughters Dana Kline of Pittsburgh, Mary Gibson of Baltimore and Jean Albrecht of Marietta, Ohio; a son, Thomas B. of Newburgh, Ind.; and nine grandchildren.
Memorial service: 11 a.m. Saturday in St. David's Church, 4700 Roland Ave., Baltimore. Burial in Lakeview cemetery, New Canaan, Conn., where his ancestors settled in the early 1700s. Arrangements by Mitchell Wiedefeld Funeral Home, Baltimore.
Ruth Hovland
Ruth Hovland, 74, passed away Thursday, Feb. 8, 2001, in her Duluth home.
She was born July 6, 1926, in Emmons, Minn. Before moving to Duluth in 1995 to be closer to her family, Ruth's home was in Albert Lea, Minn.
Family, daughters, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends will miss Ruth's pure and unselfish spirit and kind heart; her listening ear; her unfailing courage in the face of hardship; her giving soul; and her "always-there" smile. Ruth shared with all who had the privilege and pleasure of knowing her a genuine zest for life, her sense of wonder and respect for all things great and small, and an enthusiasm for pursuing, searching for and bringing out the excellence in all that surrounded her. She loved her family, the Northwoods, her cabins on the Gunflint Trail, politics, current events, good books, baking and cooking, and everything pertaining to nature and its conservation.
She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend and a blessing to all whose lives she touched.
Ruth was preceded in death by her husband, Leo; sisters Grace and Arlene; and her parents, Esther and Henry Bettner.
In Duluth, she is survived by her daughters Dolly (Dr. William) Schnell and Marnie Hovland, who moved here two years ago to be with Ruth; and her grandchildren Taylor, Katherine and Clayton Schnell. Ruth is also survived by siblings Sharon Edmundson and Harland Bettner, both of Hendersonville, Texas, and LaVonne (Kermit) Wilson and Myrtle (Dick) Jilja, both of Edina, Minn.
Private memorial service was Feb. 12 in First Unitarian Church with Pastors Karen Johnson Gustafson, Stephen Wlosinski and Paul Remark officiating. Entombment followed in Park Hill cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials for the Ruth Hovland Memorial Fund. Arrangements by Dougherty Funeral Home, 600 E. Second St., Duluth.
Felicie A. Klatt
Felicie A. Klatt, 71, of Las Cruces, N.M., died Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2001, in Memorial Medical Center, Las Cruces.
She was born Jan. 8, 1930, in Minneapolis to Floyd and Evelyn Welch Klatt. She retired in 1994 as a teacher with the Duluth School District.
Felicie was preceded in death by her parents; a daughter, Melody Widell; a grandson, Corey Widell; and a brother, Gerald Stubbs.
Survivors include her loving husband of 52 years, Erdman of the family home; sons Gregory (Betty) of Las Cruces, Bradley of Superior and Todd Klatt of Duluth; and a daughter, Deborah (Steven) St. Armour, also of Duluth.
Memorial service: 10:30 a.m. Saturday in Trinity Lutheran Church Las Cruces, Pastor Tim Stadem officiating. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, (800) 227-2345.
Arrangements by Getz Funeral Home, Las Cruces (505) 526-2419.
John J. Jurkovich
John J. Jurkovich, 88, of St. Ann's Residence died Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2001, in Benedictine Health Care Center.
He was born Oct. 4, 1912, in Chisholm to Eli and Mary Jurkovich. He graduated from Chisholm High School in 1930 and immediately began to teach in a one-room country schoolhouse. He completed his bachelor of education degree in geography and history from Duluth Teachers College in 1935 and received his master's degree in history from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1950. John served as principal of Homecroft Elementary School and later at the UMD Lab School. Following the closing of the Lab School, he continued to teach in the Department of Education at UMD. After retiring, John spent many fulfilling years as a volunteer instructor in the English as a Second Language Program. John was devoted to education and his students throughout his life. During World War II, John served as a lieutenant with the Army Artillery in the South Pacific. He retired from the Army National Guard as a lieutenant colonel.
John was preceded in death by his parents; sisters Anna Gersich, Marie Rice, Catherine Sudar and Julia Nelson; and brothers Dan Jurkovich, Joseph Scorich and Michael Scorich.
He is survived by a sister, Goldie Murphy of Sturgis, S.D.; sisters-in-law Julie Jurkovich of Chisholm, Anne Oja of Buhl and Kay Scorich of International Falls; and many nieces and nephews.
No services will be held at John's request. Memorials may be directed to St. Ann's Residence Memorial Fund, 330 E. Superior St., Duluth, MN 55805, in his name. Arrangements by Dougherty Funeral Home, 600 E. Second St.
