- Date Of Birth: December 28, 1932
- Date Of Death: January 14, 2020
- State: Minnesota
Arnold William Suihkonen, age 87 of Kinross, died Tuesday, January 14, 2020 in the Cook Care Center. He was born December 28, 1932 in Virginia, the son of John Iver and Olga Marie (Johnson) Suihkonen, was a 1950 graduate of Mt. Iron High School and a graduate of the Gale Institute in Minneapolis. Arnold served in the Unites States Army from 1953 to 1955 and was united in marriage to Janet Alice Marie Saarberg on June 16, 1956 in St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Palo. Arnold was a longtime, and very active member of both Messiah Lutheran Church in Mt. Iron and Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran Church in Virginia. He volunteered with the Boy Scouts, Habitat for Humanity, and served on the Mt. Iron Parks and Rec. Board. Arnold was employed as a train dispatcher for the DM&IR Railroad, retiring in 1992. Arnold loved everything outdoors. He was an avid fisherman, enjoyed hunting, camping, the BWCA, wild ricing, and teaching his family to relish time outdoors. Janet and Arnold spent retirement winters touring the south in their RV. Arnold was a jack of all trades and always enjoyed learning new skills and putting them to use in a common sense fashion.
Arnold is survived by his wife of 63 years: Janet; children: Cheryl (David) Gillis, Jill (Tom) Aubin and Vern (Cheryl) Suihkonen all of Mt. Iron; grandchildren: Colin (Bethany) Gillis Nicole Zetwick, Brandi Zetwick, Andrea Aubin, and Kevin (Leslie) Aubin, great-grandchildren: Hailey, Natalie, Luke, Ethan, Jaden, Audrey, and Gemma; sister: Elaine (Bert) McDermid of Virginia; numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brother John, and sisters: Helen and Irene.