Helen Evelyn Sillanpaa Hill, 88, of Floodwood died March 28, 2007, in St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth. She was born in 1918 in Salisville, Mont., to Jack and Lucy Snyder. She grew up and went to school in Missoula, Mont., where she also worked as a nanny for the Johnson family. After graduation, Helen worked as a waitress in Butte where she met Toivo Sillanpaa. The couple was married on Feb. 14, 1939, and together had three sons. In 1942, they moved to Duluth to be closer to family. Her husband died in 1953. Helen went to work at Wood Conversion and later at Northwest Paper Company, both in Cloquet. She married Wilho Hill on Aug. 24, 1957, and they made their home in Halden Township where they had a dairy farm and, later, beef cattle. Helen was active in the Halden Women's Club, Community Club and TOPS. Helen enjoyed gardening, canning and baking, crocheting, knitting, sewing, playing cards and Scrabble, doing crossword puzzles, and fishing.
Helen was preceded in death by two husbands, Toivo Sillanpaa in 1953 and Wilho Hill in 2003; one son, Toivo Sillanpaa Jr. in 1962; and four brothers, George, Vernon, Albert and Norman Snyder.
She is survived by two sons, Ted (Sue) Sillanpaa of Floodwood and Jim (Linda) Sillanpaa of Mansfield, Texas; step-son, Roger Hill of Floodwood; step-daughter, Kathleen (Ed) DeMenge of Cloquet; sisters, Lila Fox of Longmont, Colo., and Pearl Braiser of Porum, Okla.; two grandchildren, Tracy (Wayne) Hjelle and Philip (Lisa) Sillanpaa; two step-grandchildren, Tyrone (Wendy) DeMenge and Travis DeMenge; 12 great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Wilma Snyder of Lander, Wyo., and Margaret Berglund of Cloquet; and special friend, James Pavlek of Floodwood.
Visitation was held Sunday, March 31, from noon until the 1 p.m. funeral service in Northland Funeral Home, Cloquet. Burial was in Maple Grove Cemetery in Cloquet. A time of lunch and fellowship followed in the Fireside Room of the funeral home.
Arrangements entrusted to Northland Funeral Home, 801 14th Street, Cloquet, 218-879-7184. To sign the guest book and leave an online tribute, see www.northlandfuneralhome.com .
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April 4, 2007
- Cloquet, Minn.
