Richard "Rick" Arvo Viita, 79, of Cook, MN passed away on Sunday, October 13, 2024 with his family by his side.

Rick was born in Virginia, MN on September 7, 1945 to Arvo and Linda (Suomu) Viita. He grew up and attended school in Virginia, MN. He joined the Army in 1965 and served his country honorably for two years. He then went on to attend the agricultural school in Grand Rapids, MN.

Rick was a man whose passion was to work. He was proud to be a shovel operator at Inland for over 30 years, he also operated and owned Viita's Blackdirt. He was adamant about producing the perfect dirt (no sticks or rocks allowed). His work ethic was amazing, and he passed that down to his son. He and his son would have hours of conversations about farming, crops, gravel pits and tractors. Rick was a rock for his family. He was calm and never got excited. In Rick's mind, everything would be ok.

Rick was a stoic Finlander, but his heart grew huge when he met his grandchildren. If they were participating in something, he became an expert on it. He thought the absolute world of them, and they fiercely loved him back. His grandchildren can say it best about their grandfather, "Grandpa loved a lot of things. His beautiful property, his green tractor, but most of all his grandkids. There was never a question what his favorite thing in the world was, my brother and I. His heart was pure gold. He had the best listening ears but also had no problem saying his opinion (which almost always, he was right). My Grandpa was known for spending a lot of time in the card aisle. His cards were always so heartfelt, and they were so important to him. If he could send cards from heaven, I know he would. When I had any exciting news, my grandpa was the first person I would want to tell. He made me feel like I was the most important person in the entire world. My grandpa was 100% Finnish. He was stubborn, hid his feelings, and had more love for life than anyone else I knew. Grandpa made squeaky cheese "Leipajuusto" for every holiday or event. My brother and I thankfully were taught his secrets". "Grandpa was always known for being stoic. So, it never ceased to amaze us at how sentimental his birthday/Christmas cards were. If he wasn't farming at home, he was doing something that involved his grandkids. It didn't matter if it was traveling to my basketball games, Macy's events or doing research on a question that he couldn't answer for us. He was someone who always had time for us. He never complained about how tough it was to get anywhere for Macy and I, he just did it. People didn't really know him for his sense of humor, because he was pretty quiet, but he was very comical every once in a while. He was also known for knowing everything. This was a combination of him being very intelligent, researching everything on his computer, or just giving a very confident wrong answer, that he would argue until you gave up".

Rick was loved beyond measure and will be dearly missed by his family.

Rick was preceded in death by his parents; and his beloved dog of 15 years, Hunter.

Rick is survived by his son Rick, daughter in law Amy; two amazing grandchildren Spencer (Jenna Ramberg) Viita, and Macy Viita (Zach Cheney); sister Lynne Hilde and her family; and family dog Benelli who he loved.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 11:00 am at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Alango, MN. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.