Sunday's Obituary - Anna Lampi Raudwer

Mrs. Anna Raudwer Dies; Services Will Be Tuesday


Merrill Daily Herald - Feb 5 1963, page 1 col 5

Mrs. Anna Mary Raudwer Route 2, Gleason, town of Birch, died at Pine Crest at 1 p.m. Saturday. She had been ailing several years, seriously for three months.

Mrs. Raudwer was born June 6 1878, in Finland to Humala and Mary Lampi. She was a resident of the United States since 1896. She was married to John Raudwer in January 1906. He died in 1936. She was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Irma, and of the Ladies Aid of the church.

Surviving are: one daughter, Mrs. Leslie (Olga) Stockman, town of Birch; two sons, John of Milwaukee and William of Merrill; three half-brothers, Ralph Johnson, Milwaukee, Hjalmer Johnson and Wilhardt Johnson, both of Toivola, Mich; one sister, Mrs. Reno (Alma) Mustonen, Detroit, and one half-sister, Mrs. Walter (Mayme) Salmi, Toivola, Mich; five grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband: one infant son: two brothers and one sister.

Services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in St. Paul's Lutheran church, Irma, with the Rev. Robert Haltner officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park.

The family will receive friends in the Taylor Funeral home until 10 a.m. Tuesday when Mrs. Raudwer will be taken to the church to lie in state from 11 a.m. until the hour of services.
 

Sunday's Obituary - Mayme Johnson Salmi

Daily Mining Gazette - Houghton Michigan - Tuesday January 2, 1990 pg 2


Mrs. Mayme Salmi, 91, of Hancock and a former Toivola resident, died early Sunday morning, December 31, 1969 at the Houghton County Medical Care Facility where she had been a resident patient since August of 1983.

The former Mayme Johnson was born in Toivola Jan 17, 1898, a daughter of the late Elias and Anna (Halstein) Johnson and had attended the Toivola school.

In December 12, 1914, she was married to Walter H. Salmi in Iron River. He preceded her in death September 21, 1974.

Mrs. Salmi was a member of the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church of Hancock, and a life member of the Houghton County Historical Society.

She was also preceded in death by a daughter, Ena Wiitanen, and two sons Reino and Earl.

Surviving are a daughter, Mrs. Elona (Nestor) Wisti of Kirkland, Washington; four sons, Willard of New Port Richey, FL, Wilbert "Wimpy" (Margaret) of Hancock, Hugo (JoAnn) of Superior, WI, and Evald (Alice) of Toivola; 17 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; several great-great-grandchildren; a brother, Wilhart (Hilda) Johnson of Toivola and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Sunday's Obituary - Jalmer Johnson

Daily Mining Gazette, Houghton MI - Tuesday September 21, 1971 pg 2


Jalmer Johnson, 69, passed away Monday night in the Houghton County Medical Care Facility where he had been a patient for the past three weeks.

He was born November 13, 1901, in Toivola, a son of Anna and Elias Johnson and attended the Toivola School.

Mr. Johnson first was employed in the Silver Mines in Mullen, Idaho and later worked at Pearl Harbor building bomb shelters. During World War II he was in the Merchant Marines and then had sailed on the Great Lakes until his retirement at the age of 61. During the off-seasons he had made his home in Toivola and had been custodian of the Toivola Cemetery.

He was a member of the Toivola Apostolic Lutheran Church.

Surviving are his wife, the former Saima R. Honkavaara; two daughters, Beverly and Linda of Detroit; a son, Raymond Johnson of St. Clair Shores; a step-son, Harold Lindgren of Atlanta, GA; several grandchildren, a sister, Mrs. Walter (Mamie) Salmi of Lakeview Manor, Hancock; two brothers, Ralph Johnson of West Allis, WI and Wilhart Johnson of Toivola and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Funeral services will be held Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Toivola Apostolic Lutheran Church, the Rev. Richard Barney to officiate. Burial will be in the Toivola Cemetery.

The body will be taken to the church at 12 noon Thursday from the Jukuri Funeral.
 

Sunday's Obituary - Anna Elizabeth Johnson Warren

Mrs. Anton Warren Summoned Thursday

Daily Mining Gazette - Friday Feb 18, 1938 page 3

Mrs. Elizabeth Warren, an esteemed resident of Hancock and wife of Alderman Anton Warren, passed away Thursday morning in St. Joseph's hospital, where she submitted to an operation Tuesday.

Mrs. Warren was widely known here and her death will be received with sincere sorrow by her many friends in the district. Mrs. Warren was born in Calumet and had been a resident of the city for a number of years.


She is survived by her husband and two sons, Ralph and Albert: a step-son, Roy Warren of Hancock, and a step-daughter, Mrs. Ruth Richards of Ripley. Also surviving are four sisters and three brothers, Mrs. Sam Mattila, Mrs. Walter Salmi, Mrs. Mike Taskila of Toivola, Mrs. Isaac Keturi of Beacon Hill and Silfred, Ralph and Yalmer Johnson of Toivola.

Funeral services will be held Sunday afternoon, at 1 o'clock, in the Watia Funeral Home. The Rev. Andrew Milchelsen, pastor of the Franklin street Apolstolic Lutheran church, will officiate. The body will be placed in the Hancock receiving vault
 

Sunday's Obituary - Hattie Johnson Taskila

Daily Mining Gazette Monday October 9, 1961 pg 2

Mrs. Michael Taskila, 61, died in St. Joseph Medical Center Sunday evening following a long illness.

She was the former Hattie Johnson and was born in Toivola October 27 1899. Mrs. Taskila spent her life in Toivola.

Mrs. Taskila was married to Michael Taskila April 11, 1916 in Calumet by the late Rev. A. L. Heideman.

Surviving are her husband, six daughters, Mrs. John (Ann) Tienharra, Mrs. Eino (Helmi) Bakki and Mrs. Toivo (Verna) Lammie all of Ironwood. Mrs. William (Lillain) Eakim of Donken. Mrs. Urho (Ruth) Niemi and Mrs. Wayne (Violet) Wiitala of Toivola, five sons, Albert of Centerline, Donald of Negaunee, Roy of Laurium, Loyal of Wakefield, and Reino of Chassell, 33 grandchildren, two brothers, Ralph Johnson of Milwaukee, Wilhart and Jalmer of Toivola, a sister, Mrs. Walter Salmi of Toivola and three stepsisters.

Funeral Services will be held Wednesday at 1 p.m.in the Apostolic Lutheran Church, Toivola. The Rev. Andrew Mickelsen will officiate and burial will be in the Toivola Cemetery.

The body is in the Memorial Chapel and will lie in state from 12 noon Tuesday until Wednesday when it will be taken to the church at 12 noon.

Sunday's Obituary - James Mattila

James S. Mattila, Sr.
August 4, 2010
The Daily Mining Gazette

SUO DISTRICT - James S. Mattila, Sr., 92, a resident of the Suo District, passed away Friday afternoon, July 30, 2010, at his home following a lengthy illness.

He was born June 1, 1918, in Toivola, a son of the late Sam J. and Laura K. (Johnson) Mattila. He attended the Heikkinen School in Toivola.

On August 14, 1937, he was united in marriage to the former Bertha Maki. Since that time, he had made his home in the Suo District. On September 24, 2006, Bertha preceded him in death.

Mr. Mattila was a veteran, having served with the U.S. Army during WWII.
James operated his family farm and then worked for various contractors in the area doing carpentry work. In 1955, he partnered with his brother, Yalmer, to start Mattila Contracting which he helped to operate until his retirement in 1973.

Mr. Mattila was a member of the Tapiola Apostolic Lutheran Church, the Chassell VFW Post 6507, Carpenters Union Local 1510, along with various organizations in the area.

Jim enjoyed spending time outdoors hunting, fishing and trapping.

Preceding him in death were his wife, Bertha; parents; son, Carl; sisters, Beatrice and Bertha; brothers, Wesley, Walfred, Yalmer and two infant brothers; and a son-in-law, John Keranen.

Surviving are his children, James, Jr. (Karen) Mattila, Shirley Keranen, Robert (Betty) Mattila, Barbara Mattila, Carol (Gary) Johnson, Virginia (Paul) Luoma, Violet (James) Medhurst, Vivian (John) Grischke, Ruth (Thomas) Machrain, Michael (Vicky) Mattila, Vicky (Kenneth) Kline, Laura (Sam) Christoff; brothers, Alvin (Lydia) Mattila, Gordon (Marjorie) Mattila, Earl (Melanie) Mattila, Sanfred (Pat) Mattila, Leo (Marian) Mattila; sisters, Laura (Hiram) Mosley, Carol (Robert) Deede; sister-in-law, Margaret Mattila; 43 grandchildren; numerous great-grandchildren; numerous great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Funeral services for James will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, August 7, 2010, at the Tapiola Apostolic Lutheran Church with Rev. Kenneth Storm and Rodney Johnson to officiate. Burial will be in the Toivola Cemetery where Chassell VFW Post 6507 will hold military rites.

Friends may call on Friday, August 6, 2010, from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Memorial Chapel Funeral Home in Hancock and on Saturday from 10 a.m. until time of services at the church.

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, the family suggests that memorials be given to the Tapiola Apostolic Lutheran Church, the Children's Miracle Network, or the charity of one's choice.

To view James' obituary or to send condolences to the family, please visit memorialchapel.net.

The Memorial Chapel Funeral Home in Hancock is assisting the family with the arrangements.

Mattila Stood For Much
August 21, 2010
The Daily Mining Gazette

To the editor:
A veteran died today - James S. Mattila, Sr., 92, July 30, 2010. When we look at the journey of our comrade, there are five priorities that stand out:
.
1. His loyalty to his God. He took the time to know his God and his pastors. He knew where his values were and professed his faith.

2. His loyalty to his country. He left his young family to serve in World War II in Italy as a ground soldier.

3. His young family, which he was anxious to get back to.

4. His work, in which he helped his brother start a company which gave work to many.

5. His community, which he supported as a good citizen.

"When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." - Proverbs 16: 7.

Jim came from a family of 15 who lost their mother when the last child was one year old in 1941, and yet, their father kept them together. Jim and eight brothers all served their country and came back. Jim and Bertha had 13 children of which 12 survived him. His father told him, 1. "To always be honest." 2. "Keep the Ten Commandments." 3. "Honor our Constitution, we did not have that in the old country."

Now he was not a perfect man, but a great man. There is a man.

Next Memorial Day, a flag will be placed on Jim's grave in Toivola along with the graves of some 6,000 other veterans in Houghton and Keweenaw counties to be remembered by some 4,000 veterans living here.

Rev. Elmer Liimatta,
State Chaplain, Veterans of Foreign Wars
Chassell


Mattilas to lead Parade of Thanks
May 14, 2009
By GARRETT NEESE, DMG Writer

HOUGHTON - Though shortened by construction, the Parade of Thanks will go on this year.

The annual parade, which recognizes the efforts of military veterans and those currently serving in the military, starts at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Citgo station in Hancock.

Due to construction, it will now end in Hancock by the Scott Hotel, not the Miners State Bank in Houghton as originally planned.

The parade will be followed by the Freedom Rally at the Copper Country Mall, starting at 1 p.m. The event will include awards presented to the grand marshals, Patriot of the Year and Junior Patriot of the Year, as well as musical performances by Tom Katalin and a choir headed by Annette Butina.

This year's grand marshals are the nine Mattila brothers of Toivola - James, Yalmer, Wesley, Gordon, Walfred, Alvin, Sanfred, Earl and Leo - all of whom served in the Armed Forces.

James, the oldest, served as an Army infantryman during World War II, once being stationed on the former farm of deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.

Yalmer served stateside during World War II as a military policeman. Wesley, an Air Force member, was stationed in the South Pacific during World War II.

Gordon served in the Navy after the conclusion of World War II, working in a naval hospital whose patients included troops imprisoned by the Japanese.

Walfred served in the Navy and was part of atomic bomb testing on the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

Alvin was stationed stateside for two years as an Army policeman in the 50s.

Sanfred traveled to 32 countries in his four years in the Navy, including a patrol ship off the coast of Korea during the Korean War.

Earl served in the Army and was trained in artillery and radar operations.

Leo, the youngest, served in the Army in the early 1960s. Had the Cuban Missile Crisis not been resolved, his company would have gone to Cuba.

Four of the nine brothers will not be there: Walfred, Yalmer and Wesley have died, while Alvin is staying home to take care of his wife, who is sick.

But all will be honored Saturday, said parade organizer Dennis Korby. "We're going to have the living brothers in their uniforms," he said. "We're going to have the empty chairs for the brothers that are no longer with us."

Korby found out about the brothers' story after coming across an old Gazette article about their history. He called the brothers "Copper Country treasures."
"I'll speak with someone outside of this area," he said. "Invariably, they're always shocked by this. You may hear of two or three brothers, but not nine. All nine."

Patriot of the Year is Kenneth Toth. The local pastor, who served in the Korean War, is known for his work with veterans, Korby said. When a soldier returned home last year, Toth organized the placing of American flags all the way from the airport parking lot to his home, interspersed with signs telling him what had gone on at home since he left.

Deanna Hillstrom, a student at Jeffers High School in Painesdale, was named Junior Patriot of the Year. Korby hopes to get her to read a poem she has written about the Mattila brothers, which he called "very passionate and well-written."
Hillstrom has two brothers serving in war zones, including Andrew Hillstrom, who is recovering from severe wounds suffered in action.

"She had something tugging at her heart at a very personal level," Korby said. "She had two brothers in harm's way. Maybe that explains her commitment to this whole thing. I can think of no one - absolutely no one - at her age more deserving of this award."

Included in the parade will be the Calumet High School volleyball team, who will hit red, white and blue volleyballs back and forth behind a "Champions Honoring Champions" banner.

Placed on every block during the parade will be barrels decorated with red, white and blue. These are for donations of items such as crayons, coloring books, erasers and hard candy for children in Afghanistan. Korby said they were the idea of Katie Sullivan, who had talked to the wife of a local soldier serving there.
"The little kids are caught in the middle of all the fighting," Korby said. "They're terrified, and they're poor. They beg for pencils, crayons, coloring books, markers. These are treasures to these children."

Korby said a DVD of the parade will be sent to troops serving overseas, and has also been requested by the White House.

"We're the most patriotic area in the country, bar none, and I think people are starting to take a second look at that," Korby said. "We have a chance to show that in the parade and the rally."

Sunday's Obituary - Anna Hallsten Johnson

Born: 7 May 1867 - Alajärven, Möksyssä, Finland
Married: 3 Jan 1891 - Red Jacket, Houghton County, Michigan
Died: 24 Jan 1936 - Toivola, Houghton County, Michigan


Toivola Matron is Summoned by Death
Daily Mining Gazette - January 25, 1936

Mrs. Anna Johnson of Toivola died yesterday morning at the age of 68 years. She was born in Finland, came to the United States 48 years ago, and had lived in the Copper County ever since.

Surviving are five daughters, Mrs. Anton Warren of Hancock, Mrs. Isaac Keturi of Beacon Hill, Mrs. Samuel Mattila of Toivola, Mrs. Walter Salmi and Mrs. mike Taskila of Toivola, three sons, Jalmer, Ralph and Wilhart of Toivola, three sisters, two brothers, 41 grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Funeral services will be help Wednesday afternoon at 1 o'clock at the home, the Rev. Mr. Heideman officiating. Burial will be in the Toivola Cemetery.

Destination: Toivola, 'Vale of Hope'
Taisto Hayrinen
The Co-Operative Builder - May 18, 1944

Excerpts:

Shades of Irish Finns!

All the settlers were Finns, except for Grant Goyle-an Irishman, John Spiegel-a German, and Lyn Blum-an Irish-German. They all learned to speak Finnish with hardly an accent, and did that ever mystify strangers. They had learned some of it already in the copper cities, where we first came to know them. They married Finnish-born girls and settle here. Their descendants are numerous. Those are about the most interesting things I can recall…"

Among the first comers, Anna Johnson was outstanding for her contribution to the community. She did everything except shoe horses and weld iron in the black-smith's shop. She tanned leather to make moccasins for the little ones, of whom she had 13 herself, raising 10 to man and womanhood. She was the community's only midwife for 40 years, attending 103 deliveries, and losing not a one.

Because her husband worked in the mines and lumber camps most of the time, she had to take full charge of the farm and her brood of children. She harnessed and hitched the horse to the harrow, and trudged in its wake. She sowed the grain from a dishpan, later with a hand driven seeder. She was the community nurse, calling Dr. Aldridge of Winona in the severe cases.

She was also the veterinarian. She spun wool and knitted garments, sewed the dresses for the little girls from store goods. There were innumerable other things made at home, for trips to town took three days through the forest, and once when the storekeeper made a delivery, it cost more than the goods did.

On that occasion, the wide-eyed storekeeper told Anna's friends in town how he found her soldering a dishpan, and of how she had "made the chimney longer." It seems the stovepipe chimney was too short, so Anna had raised the stove on blocks of wood.

Always, A Solution Was Found

She took hold of tragedy with a firm hand. Once, when one of her little daughters fell into the well, where there was 28 feet of water, she commanded that she be tied to the bucket and lowered into the well. This done, she grasped the child by the hair and drew her up in approved life-saving fashion. After several hours of artificial respiration, the youngster recovered.

While she was helping a neighbor, the eldest children, tho little more than knee high, were left in charge. Their cooking ability was limited, as was the larder, and the main dish and only one was a concoction of hot water poured on rye bread, with fried salt pork added, to be eaten with milk. It stopped the tears of the little ones, and they again waited patiently for mother to return.

She was always ready to help her neighbors, and everyone in Toivola was her neighbors, and everyone in Toivola was her neighbor. She did everything for a mere "thank you," never expected any more. She felt no sense of being a heroine, but because she had versatile ability and unquenchable energy, she lived up to the standards of that day. Those people had to work hard, do those things or go under.

Elias and Anna Hallsten Johnson with son John Walter Johnson

Sunday's Obituary - Walter Axel Johnson

Walter Axel Johnson - Son of Nellie Maish and Edward Johnson

Born: October 12, 1911
Died: May 12, 1949

Blackduck American - May 26, 1949


Walter A. Johnson who was raised in the vicinity of Blackduck and whose lengthy criminal record started in 1929 when he was arrested for theft at the Cross store and sentenced to the St. Cloud reformatory, was shot and killed at a ranch north of Glendive Mont., Saturday morning.

Johnson had escaped the previous Monday from the jail at Fargo, N.D. after slugging the jailer and Bernard P. Quigley, immigration border patrolman, formerly located at Bemidji and well known here. FBI officers were alerted and a hunt conducted that extended over three states. When trailed to the ranch barn, Johnson refused to come out and fired at the officers. He was shot several times and the revolver that he had stolen from the Fargo jailer was found in his hand. Identification was positive through prints. An inquest developed the fact that Johnson had shot himself.

Johnson after his convictions was paroled after serving two years but was again arrested for larceny and given up to five years in Stillwater. Again paroled he was later arrested in North Dakota. He was wanted on numerous charges but was currently being tried in Fargo on a charge of first degree robbery. of the store. The family later moved to Thief River Falls.

Details of the chase have been watched with interest by local residents who were well acquainted with the Johnson family.

Sheriff Cahill was a deputy at the time of Johnson's first arrest and had been active in his arrest in North Dakota