Bernice W. (Stolpe) Laakkonen
Bernice W. (Stolpe) Laakkonen, 84, of Mt.Iron passed away May 23, 2010 at the VirginiaConvalescentCenter. Services will be at 11:00 a.m.Tuesday, June 1st at the Range Funeral Home of Virginia. Visitation will be one hour prior to the services. Reverend Nathan Williams will officiate. Private internment will be at MapleHillCemetery, Hibbing.
Bea was born August 8, 1925 in Mountain Iron to Martin and Mary (Lusti) Martinson. She grew up in Mountain Iron, graduating from MountainIronHigh School, Class of 1943. She married Art Stolpe on March 1948 in Los Angeles, CA. After Art’s passing she returned to Mt. Iron in 1959 and then married Clayton Laakkonen in October 1978. She was employed at the Mountain Iron State Bank for 25 years before retiring in 1984. She was active in the Yoki-Bergman American Legion Auxiliary, Mountain Iron Civic Association, Mountain Iron Winter Carnival, numerous other Mountain Iron civic activities and the Order of the Eastern Star, Virginia. She was a member of Hope Community Presbyterian Church.
Bea is survived by her son, Rob Stolpe, of St. Paul, MN and numerous nieces and nephews.
A special thank you goes to Ruth and Leo Phaneuf and the VirginiaConvalescentCenter for all their assistance and support.
She was preceded in death by husbands, Art Stolpe and Clayton Laakkonen; parents, Martin and Mary Martinson; sisters: Sally McCauley, Ailie Josephson, Dorothy Sartori, Signe Lehtonen, Lynda Hansen, Irene Skaudis and brother, Eino Martinson.
