Loretta Fern

Knutson

Loretta Fern Knutson, 89, of Shelby Township, MI passed away on September 25, 2026, at home, surrounded by loved ones.

Loretta was born on October 11, 1936, in Cloquet, MN to Benjamin and Alice (Roy) Porter.

She was born and raised in Northern Minnesota, near Bois Forte reservation. She was invited to live with Dr. & Mrs. Sommerdorf in St.Paul,MN, to attend school. She found work and lifelong friendships at Anchor School of Nursing, during which time she met her future husband, Howard. They courted and soon got married when he proposed that they move together to Palmer, Alaska to run a boy's home. He was enraptured by her adventurous spirit! They soon gave birth to a daughter (Karla), and moved to Thompson, N.D., to farm and raise a family.

They welcomed life into their home on the farm, including many international students from the University of N.D., where Loretta eventually went back to school to finish a B.S. in nursing and restart her career.

She moved back to Nett Lake to take care of her mother, while taking on the Director of the Bois Forte Clinic position, as Howard sold the farm and built a house next door to her mother's.

Loretta then did home health care work, while starting her business, ‘Bois Forte Native Arts and Crafts’, which had been a lifelong dream, allowing her the freedom to express herself though the arts she had learned while growing up, such as beadwork, birchbark and quilt making

Loretta supported the local native artists with her business by purchasing their art when they came to sell at her store, and then reselling with pride at pow-wows, whenever she could go. She welcomed tourists to her store in Orr, enjoying visiting with and having them sign her guest book.

She eventually moved to Michigan to live and be in the care of her daughter's family.

Loretta was preceded in death by her husband Howard; son Tony Knutson; brother Edwin Porter; sister Ina Porter; granddaughter Eowyn den Engelse; nephew Warren Porter; and niece Anita Porter.

She is survived by her daughter Karla (Arko) den Engelse; son Neil (Tracy Benton) Knutson; grandchildren: Anna den Engelse, Elijah (Olivia) den Engelse, Nicholas den Engelse, Gabriel den Engelse, Micah den Engelse, Malachi den Engelse, Sadie Knutson, Nora Knutson Asa Knutson; and great-grandchildren Gideon den Engelse, Samuel den Engelse, and Eowyn den Engelse.

A Memorial Service will be held at the Nett Lake Baptist Church on Monday, October 12, 2026, at 1:00pm. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.