Vlasie Solon

Vlasie Solon age 92, passed away peacefully at home on May 11, 2026. He departed as Fr. Dustin Lyon concluded the prayer service for Holy Unction in the loving company of his son, Jerry. Memory eternal.

Vlasie was born on October 18, 1933, in Duluth, Minnesota, to Greek immigrant parents Nicholas Solon and Demitra (Stasinopoulos) Solon.

He is survived by his son, Jerry Solon; daughter, Sara (Jimson) Carr; and nephew, Jon Solon, nieces, Dina Webb, Vicki Smoyer, Kristina Solon-Boe and Tracy Korhonen. 

A Visitation will be held on Wednesday, May 27th from 5-7 pm with Trisagion starting at 6:30 p.m. in Doughtery Funeral Home, 600 E 2nd St. Duluth MN 55805. Funeral Service Thursday, May 28th at 11:00 a.m in 12 Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church, 623 E. 2nd St. Duluth MN 55805. Interment at Forest Hill Cemetery, Duluth MN. In lieu of flowers, memorials to 12 Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church are preferred. To send flowers to the family in memory of Vlasie Solon, please visit our flower store. www.dfhduluth.com Dougherty Funeral Home

His Life :

Vlasie and his siblings — Louis, Sam, Chris, and Bessie — grew up in Duluth’s hillside neighborhood near Mesaba Avenue and West 3rd Street. The Solon family spoke Greek and faithfully practiced the traditions of the Greek Orthodox faith at church and at home. Vlasie and his family were longtime members of the Twelve Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church, where he and his brothers sang in the choir and served as chanters. As an adult, Vlasie served as president of the church for 37 years. Vlasie made a lasting difference throughout his life with his vast community imprint, unstoppable enthusiasm, and enduring zest for life. His dedicated work ethic began at childhood, when he and his brothers sold newspapers in Duluth’s nearby Bowery district downtown.

Vlasie graduated from Duluth Central High School and later earned a degree in Political Science with honors from the University of Minnesota Duluth. He was named to the Dean’s List and received the Bulldog Award.

His godfather introduced him to boxing and Vlasie went on to become a Golden Gloves boxer during the 1950s. Competing as a welterweight, he fought in 20 professional Golden Gloves matches and more than 100 bouts overall, including competitions at the Duluth Armory, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Hibbing, and Superior, Wisconsin.

During the Korean War, Vlasie served at the 8th Army Headquarters in South Korea in Special Services. He acted as interpreter for Greek soldiers serving in Seoul as part of the United Nations forces and later became Physical Activities Specialist boxing coach for the 8th Army and the All-Korea Team.

Following his military service, he briefly sold shoes at Dayton Hudson in Minneapolis before joining J.M. Dain in Duluth during the 1960s. He eventually became manager of the Duluth branch of Dain Rauscher and was later recognized as the company’s top broker nationally. As an office manager he was progressive and ahead of his time, not only with his aggressive sales technique but also becoming one of the first in the area to establish a smoke-free office.

One of the crowning achievements of his career came when The Wharton School of Finance invited him to be one of only two speakers addressing students on the subject of success.

Among his many civic contributions, Vlasie helped create the Duluth 1200 Fund, serving as an active member from 1986 to 2009. The organization played an important role in attracting business and economic development to Duluth during especially difficult economic times. He was also an active member of the Duluth Chamber of Commerce.

In 1994, Vlasie joined eight other investors in purchasing the historic Fitger’s Hotel and Complex, eventually becoming partner with his long time valued friend and esteemed colleague Scott Vesterstein up until Vlasie’s passing.

After leaving the brokerage industry in 2008, he devoted his full efforts to Fitger’s. During a board meeting, lead partner Scott Vesterstein proposed launching a line of coffees branded Fitger’s. Together they developed distinctive flavors, testing them through informal focus groups.

Vlasie’s son Jerry, an accomplished New York graphic designer, created sophisticated packaging inspired by the historic Fitger’s Brewery and Lake Superior.

Vlasie and his son Jerry became partners in Fitger’s Coffee business until his passing. “I love working with my son,” Vlasie said. “That alone makes this investment worthwhile.”

Vlasie was deeply passionate about health and fitness. An avid tennis player known affectionately as “Coach,” he had an unbeatable fast serve. He could often be found playing doubles at the Duluth Indoor Tennis Club, Northland Country Club, and neighborhood courts throughout Duluth sibling numerous awards and trophies. He also founded his own local tennis tournament, The Solon Club at Glensheen Mansion. Jerry recalls they would ride in the car and Vlasie would randomly pull over along side a tennis court and closely analyze the players techniques through the car window.

He loved the outdoors and found peace in nature. Jerry cherished memories as a young child riding on his father’s shoulders along the beaches of Park Point sharing the joys of observing nature together. Vlasie had a profound love for birds, deer, and all of God’s creatures. Jerry often recalled his father explaining when he was young, the remarkable intelligence and power of the ant.

When Vlasie was only five years old, he appeared in his first play, The Cricket and the Ant. Vlasie played the ant — a role whose practical wisdom from Aesop’s fable he carried with him throughout his entire life.

Vlasie loved his family. He was always there for his son and gave his time and love unconditionally at the drop of the hat. Jerry notes since he was a young child until his dad’s final days they would greet each other and conclude each time together with a mutual kiss on the cheek. The early formative years were blissful and joyful for his daughter Sara who has resided in Hawaii since her early adulthood. From Jerry’s earliest memory they enjoyed weekly visits to yia yia’s ( grandma in Greek ) house and drives up the North Shore and warm weather winter vacations. Jerry recalls his dad routinely treating him and his cousins to carefree excursions to movies, lunch, dinner, the mall, swimming in the summer, skiing in the winter to name a few. His dad was always eager and excited to make time and create lifetime memories.

Another most profound chapter of Vlasie’s life was his sobriety for the last 50 years. He became deeply devoted to the spiritual philosophy of the Twelve Step program and sponsored countless individuals through the struggles of chemical dependency. He guided many toward sober and meaningful lives.

This work was deeply personal to him. He continually studied and memorized passages from the Twelve Step literature, The Sermon on the Mount, and the Bible. Vlasie believed none of us are perfect and that we must always strive to grow into better and more faithful human beings, while helping others do the same.

Whether at informal meeting halls, cafés, walks along Lake Superior, or after hours at his place of work, he generously shared his knowledge of encouragement, wisdom, and hope while leading sobriety meetings.

Vlasie continued to share his never ending enthusiasm until his final weeks. At home with Jerry as his caregiver and the extended caregiving team, he taught his boxing techniques, he practiced yoga, and arm wrestled — routinely winning at arm wrestling nearly until the very end. He continued teaching others about spirituality, business, finance, discipline, and faith throughout his final days. He checked the stock market almost daily until his passing. He literally never officially retired from work.

Vlasie lived his life fulfilling the meaning of one of his favorite words: “enthusiasm.” The word comes from the Greek word enthousiasmos, meaning “inspired by God.” It is also described as a “state of divine” — which is literally how his death was described the moment following his passing.

May his memory be eternal.