All Obituaries

Ruth Eleanor Ferguson, 92, of Two Harbors died of natural causes on March 24, 2020 in Lake View Hospital. She was born September 13, 1927 to Edwin and Oddhild Johnson and grew up on the family farm outside Duquette, MN. After high school, Ruth attended St. Luke’s School of Nursing in Duluth, graduating as a registered nurse in 1948. She put her career on hold to raise five children then started back to work in 1967. She worked into the 1980’s as the surgeon’s assistant at...

Lloyd Peterson, 92, Two Harbors, died Monday, April 6, 2020 at Waterview Shores. He was born March 20, 1928 to Charles and Inga (Stromme) in Two Harbors, where he grew up and graduated from high school in 1947.  He was employed by the D M & I R Railroad until 1950, when he was drafted into the U. S. Army and served as a radio operator in Austria during the Korean War. After being discharged in 1952, he returned to the railroad and worked as a carman.  When “Black...

Fernent Bennie “Ben” Haack, 95, Two Harbors, left this world peacefully on Monday, March 30, 2020 after an extraordinarily full 95 years. He was born April 30, 1924 to William and Natalie (Duetchlander) Haack in Polley, Wisconsin, and moved to Two Harbors as a child. Ben served in the US Navy during WWII, first stationed in Jacksonville Naval Station, where he met Sadie McCormick and they married in 1944. He was then stationed in Dunkeswell, England for 2 years with Fleet Air...

Richard Earle Smach, 92, formerly of Silver Bay, passed away Wednesday March 25, 2020 at VA Health Care Systems in St. Cloud. He was born October 19, 1927 to Laddie and Katheryn Smach of Berwyn, IL.  Dick was a veteran of WWII, serving in the Pacific.  He married Maryanne in Rochester, on February 11, 1950 and they lived in St. Cloud and South Haven for 38 years moving to Silver Bay in July of 1988.  In retirement they wintered in Cottonwood, Arizona for 18 years until...

Russ Nelson, 97, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 25th, 2020 at Waterview Shores. Russ was born on August 28, 1922 in Montevideo, Minnesota. During high school he was a star athlete in football (team captain), track, and basketball and was class president his senior year.   He served in the U.S Army during World War II, training as a physical therapist and was stationed in Panama. In 1946, he married Shirley Dahl and in 1948 they made Two Harbors their home. Together with...

Lynn Mielke, 80, of Two Harbors, formerly of Maplewood died Wednesday, March 18, 2020 in St. Luke’s Hospital, Duluth. He grew up and attended schools in Fox Lake, WI before attending Macalester College. After serving in the U. S. Army, Lynn was employed as a computer programmer at Unisys for over 30 years.  He lived in Maplewood during his working years, retiring to Two Harbors in 2002. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Mary Ann Shaw. Lynn is survived by his...

Elizabeth A. “Bunny” Pearson , 79, Grand Marais, died Sunday, March 15, 2020 in North Shore Health Care Center. Bunny was born July 21, 1940 to Carl and Clarie (Skogh) Pearson in Minneapolis, where she grew up and attended school, graduating from Southwest High School in 1958.  She was employed as a secretary at Valspar Corp for over 25 years and retired to Grand Marais in 2002.  Bunny also worked at the bookstore at the American Swedish Institute for many...

Clifford Victor Sundstrom, 91, of French River, died Monday, March 9, 2020 at Waterview Shores. Cliff was born January 3, 1929 to Victor and Ida (Anderson) Sundstrom in Duluth Township, graduated from Clover Valley High School in 1947, and was a lifelong resident of French River.  Cliff served in the US Marine Corps from 1950-1952, during the Korean Conflict.  He was employed by the DM&IR Railroad until 1963, and the Superwood plant in Duluth from 1965 until his retirement in...

Terry L. Amos, 75, Two Harbors, died Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at Solvay Hospice House in Duluth. Terry was born June 24, 1944 to Arthur and Daisy (Eubanks) Amos in St. Louis Missouri. He made a career of his service as a chef in the U. S. Army and Navy, and was last stationed in the Twin Cities.  Following his military service, Terry lived on the North Shore of Lake Superior and worked in some of the popular restaurants, until his health no longer permitted. He continued to live in...

Patricia S. “Patti” Nelson, 90, formerly of Lutsen, MN died on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 in Auburn, CA where she lived since 2014 to be closer to a daughter. She was born on November 23, 1929 to Thomas and Bertha (Sivertson) Eckel in Duluth. Patti was raised on the North Shore of Lake Superior, spending summers on Isle Royale. The Eckels were one of the island’s “fishing families”. Patti often spoke of her fondness and respect for the Great Lake. She attended...