Kortni Diana Korkala

It is with shattered hearts, we announce the passing of our dear Kortni Diana Korkala, 31, of Duluth MN who, tragically, took her own life on Friday, June 27, 2025. She was born in Duluth MN on September 22, 1993 to Cassie Klatte and Dale Korkala. She is survived by her daughters whom she loved so very much - Leila Jones (14) of Hermantown, Kaiana Jones (11) and Aaliyah Jones (10) of Esko, Harmony Korkala (3) and Zadaya Korkala (1) of Duluth; her parents - Cassie and Chris Klatte of Duluth and Dale and Andrea Korkala of Blackhoof Twp; her brothers - Dylan and Mason Klatte of Duluth; her sisters, brother-in laws, nephews and nieces - Kayla and Trey Lynch and their children - Braxton Eggert and Xavier, Zariyah and Ezrah Lynch all of Jacksonville NC, Kendall Smith and Michael Linehan of San Diego CA, and Kamryn Korkala of Blackhoof Twp; her grandparents - Gerry and Diana Jones of Proctor, Kathy Kinnunen of Yantis TX, Mark and Carol Klatte of Cloquet and Steve and Dar Bottila of Esko; her very close aunts, uncles and cousins - Charliene Jones and her daughters - Davriana Horvath and Kaiana and Aaliyah Jones all of Esko, Roseann and Mitch Erickson and their sons - Ross, Eli, Jake and Drew Erickson all of Esko and JohnPaul and Jennifer Jones and their children; Jagr, Gaborik, Leila and Violet Jones all of Hermantown, and numerous extended family and friends.

Kortni was so full of life and love growing up. And when she loved, she loved big. She was absolutely gorgeous and had a spirit that just drew you in with her charm and likeability. She was extremely smart and talented in so many things. She was very artistic and loved to draw, sketch and paint. She loved to sing and had the most angelic voice… But beyond that bright smile hid some very dark and troubled times, battling mental illness that led to her addiction. She was always so strong-willed and determined and tried to control whatever situation she could. But the one thing she couldn’t get a grip on was her mental health. Her death is a devastating reminder of the importance of compassion, connection and mental health support, especially when people are hurting and have let you down. You still need to love them through it, because you never know when it will be their last breath on this earth.

Kortni attended Cloquet High School and received her GED in 2013. Throughout her time there, she played a variety of sports excelling in cheerleading, track, soccer, and hockey (playing varsity in the 8th grade). After nearly three years of sobriety, she graduated on May 17, 2024 from Northwood Technical College in Superior with a Technical Diploma in Substance Abuse Education so that she could become a Substance Abuse Counselor and use her experiences to help others. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after her graduation that she took a downward spiral back into depression and substance abuse.

A service to celebrate Kortni’s life will be held tomorrow morning, Tuesday, July 1st at Hermantown Community Church, 4880 Maple Grove Rd, Hermantown, with Visitation beginning at 10:30 am and Service starting at 11:00 am. Immediately following the service, there will be a reception in the downstairs banquet room at Grand View Grill & Bar, 2820 Midway Rd, Duluth.