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IN LOVING MEMORY OF Arnold Victor William Ojanen
Arnold Victor
William Ojanen
Jun 23, 1928 — Jan 14, 2015
Arnold Victor William Ojanen's Obituary
Arnold "Arnie" Ojanen
Arnold "Arnie" Ojanen, 86, Cook, passed away on Wednesday, January 14, 2015 at Essentia Health in Virginia.
Born Arnold Victor William Ojanen, on June 23, 1928 in Alango Township, he was the 9th of 10 children born to Victor and Mary (Rantala) Ojanen. He grew up in Alango, graduating from Alango High School in 1946. Shortly after graduation he joined the Army, proudly serving his country in Korea in 1947 and 1948. He married Evie Johnson on November 11, 1950 in Virginia. After marriage Arnie started working for Carl Brown construction and worked there until 1961, then for Tini Plumbing and Heating to 1967. He then took employment with Northern Electric Coop where he was the purchasing agent until his retirement in1990. He was gifted at carpentry and built his house in Cook in 1965, where his family grew up. Arnie was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Cook, served on the City of Cook Council, and was a longtime member of the Planning and Zoning Board and Cook Co-op Credit Union. He also belonged to the Virginia American Legion and the Cook VFW. He was a dedicated cubmaster and boys hockey organizer and president. He loved music of all kinds, especially Polka music. Always ambitious, Arnie purchased the post office building from the Brown family in 1980, which he managed until 1990. He was the town's handyman and fixit man, and could be depended on to help homeowners with most any of their repairs. He replaced or repaired furnaces for numerous people in the northland. After Evie's death in 1996, he married Shirley Reichel in Cook on January 23, 1998. They were blessed with many memorable years together. He was a good friend to many and will be sadly missed.
He is preceded in death by his first wife Evie on April 3, 1996; 2 brothers- Walfred (1988) and Raymond (2010); 6 sisters- Helia Hakala (1936), Helen Heikkinen (1988), Sylvia Brown (2002), Elma Enzmann (2004), Elsie Palmer (2006) and Esther Pohto (2011).
Arnie is survived by his wife Shirley of Cook; children- Alan (Joan) Ojanen of Plainview, MN, Robert (Mary) Ojanen of Millville, MN, Thomas (Lisa) Ojanen of Cook, Glen Ojanen of Rochester, MN; Patricia "Patsy" Ojanen of Duluth, Donna (Harvey) Hickok of Duluth, Jane (Terry) Melhorn of Bemidji, Fred (Kirsten) Reichel of Lake Vermilion-Cook, Kathy (John) O'Keeffe of Worthington, OH and Sandi (Ray Pinkerton) Bialke of Dublin, OH; 1-sister: Sigrid Kontio of Virginia; 24 Grandchildren: Jay (Amy Austin Slettom) Hickok, Robin (Jason) Ehrich, Ryan (Rachel) Hickok, Robert Ojanen, James Ojanen, Jill (Pete) Wood, Gina Bockenstedt, Bret (Daphne Brown) Bockenstedt, Christopher (Jenny) Ojanen, William (Samantha Zyllberberg) Ojanen, Angela (Alex) Samanta, Holly (Arthur Braun) Melhorn, Kelly (Derek) Rutledge, Sara (Jim) Reed, Ryan (Ashley) Raymond, Justin (Alysha Fultz) Raymond, Emily (Kai) Goellner, Karl (Summer Isham) Reichel, Trevor Reichel, Cory (Hannah) Bialke, Jessie Price, Pat (Rachel) O'Keeffe, Ryan (Erica) O'Keeffe and Joseph (Erica) O'Keeffe; 23 Great Grandchildren: Kaitlyn, Hannah, Andrew, Grace, Lily, Sam, Emily, Chevy, Casey, Levi, Vivian, Tyler, Kaylen, Cole, Devon, Lauren, Marley, Levi, Sierra, Konner, Owen, Reichel and Lincoln; along with numerous nieces, nephews and friends.
SERVICES: A memorial service will be held at 1:00 PM Saturday, January 17, 2015 in Trinity Lutheran Church in Cook where a gathering of family and friends will be held one hour prior to the service. Pastor Bruce Hannem will be the officiant. Honorary bearers will be the grandchildren. Military honors will be accorded by the Cook VFW and Orr American Legion combined Honor Guards. A reception in Arnie's honor will be held in the church social hall immediately after the service. Spring burial will be in the Cook Community Cemetery. Arrangements are with the Mlaker Funeral Home in Cook.
To sign the online guest book or to send a condolence to the family, go to www.mlakerfuneralhome.com
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Funeral Services for Arnold Victor William Ojanen
Memorial Service
January
17
Saturday
Trinity Lutheran Church
Starts at 1:00 pm
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