Paavo Johannes Sinkkonen, 66, died Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008, hiking his beloved Jay Cooke trails. He will be missed by his wife, Mary Casey (Ladd) and his sons and daughters-in-law, Mark and Leslie, Teddy and Barb; his seven grandchildren, Maxx, Ascher, Madeline, Parker, Lily, Lucy, and Lleyton, with whom he was especially close; and Mark and Teddy's mother, Seija Sikio Sinkkonen. He is also survived by eight brothers and sisters, seven of whom still live in Finland, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Paavo was born near Joensuu, Finland, on May 2, 1942. He and Seija emigrated to the United States in 1965. He was frequently seen running, skiing and dancing. When he wasn't training and coaching, he moonlighted as a printer at Davidson Printing for 40 years. He devoted his final years to his grandchildren.
Visitation will be held from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, at Nelson Funeral Care, 1004 Cloquet Ave., Cloquet. The visitation will resume Saturday, Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. until the 11 a.m. funeral service, also at Nelson Funeral Care, followed by a luncheon in the fellowship hall.
The family has selected Nelson Funeral Care, 218-879-3225, to assist them with arrangements. See the family online guest book at www.nelsonfuneralcare.net .
November 6, 2008 ~ Pine Journal, Cloquet, Minn.
