Donald James Behling
Jan 20, 2026
Donald James Behling passed away peacefully with his family by his side on January 20, 2026. Don was born to Edward and Helen Behling on August 8, 1943. He graduated from Central High School in 1961 and UMD in 1966 with a degree in industrial arts education, as well as a master’s degree in education. He taught at Ordean Jr....
Jeris Jeffrey Alan Cozzi
Jan 18, 2026
Jeris Jeffrey Alan Cozzi, age 42 of Duluth died unexpectedly while on vacation in the Caribbean, on January 18, 2026. He was born in Duluth on September 13, 1983 to parents, Jeffrey “Flash” and Cindy (Olson) Cozzi. He lived life with an unmistakable spark that drew people in and stayed with them long after. His early years shaped him, but...
JoAnn Carolyn Chesser
Jan 16, 2026
JoAnn Chesser, 89, passed away peacefully with family by her side at Diamond Willow, Proctor on January 16, 2026, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.
JoAnn lived a life grounded in kindness, service, and a deep commitment to her family and community. Guided by her faith and a lifelong dedication to helping others, JoAnn was deeply involved at St. Paul’s Episcopalian...
Barbara Jeanne Kennedy
Jan 16, 2026
Barbara Jeanne Kennedy age 91 of Mahtowa, died on January 16, 2026 at the Cloquet Memorial Hospital with her family by her side. She was born in Minneapolis on May 6, 1934 to parents, Harry and Mabel Pearson. She was raised in Northeast Minneapolis where she graduated from Edison High School in 1952. This is where she met the love...
Dorothy 'Saya' Kovich
Jan 13, 2026
With quiet grace and a spirit that never dimmed, Saya Kovich passed away peacefully at the age of 96, leaving behind the warmth she shared with all who knew her.
Born in 1929, Saya lived a life defined by timeless grace, quick wit, and boundless generosity. A devoted member of St. George Serbian Orthodox Church, she was baptized, married, and remained...
Robert "Bob" A. Unzen
Jan 11, 2026
Age 94, passed away on January 11, 2026. He was born in Duluth on July 16, 1931, to Anthony and Dorothy (Coan) Unzen and was a lifelong Duluth resident.
Bob attended the College of St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota, graduating with a degree in Accounting. As a CPA, he became a partner at Rauschenfel and Company which became Robert...
Rita Marie Herald
Jan 10, 2026
Rita Marie Herald, age 93, passed away peacefully with her family by her side, on January 10, 2026, in Duluth, Minnesota. She was born June 3, 1932 in Chicago, Illinois, and moved at a young age with her parents to Duluth, where she was raised and made her lifelong home.
Rita attended Sacred Heart School and later Cathedral High School. She...
Patricia "Pat" Davis (Snow)
Jan 8, 2026
Patricia "Pat" Davis, 79, of Duluth, Minnesota, passed away on August 1, 2026.
Born on November 27, 1946, to Dale William Snow and Virginia Leona Snow (Banack), Pat grew up in Duluth alongside her older sister, Mary "Polly" Miller (Snow), and younger brother, Marc Snow. Her life was marked by resilience, adventure, and a deep love for family and friends.
Pat married...
Olive Musolf Kirkland
Jan 6, 2026
Olive Musolf Kirkland age 100 of Duluth, passed away surrounded by her family on January 6, 2026. She was born at her grandmother's home in Duluth on December 24, 1925 to parents, Michael and Stella (Mosiniak) Musolf. On February 5, 1955 she married the love of her life, William Kirkland. Together, they raised 6 children as his military career took...
Sandra Carolyn Stowers
Jan 3, 2026
Sandra Carolyn Stowers, age 78 of Duluth passed away on January 3, 2026. She was born in Duluth to parents, Harvey Bourdages and Patricia Falbo.
Sandra is survived by her children, Bobbie Lou Shelton, Andy Jo Shelton, Susane Marie Bright, and Heather Carolyn Grace Leo; many grandchildren and great grand children; siblings, Judy Maynard, Connie Ankarlo, Mary Atwood, Louis Bourdages, and...
Phyllis Ann Sutula
Jan 3, 2026
Garrison Keillor in The Keillor Reader suggests that travel is a liberating art form where you shed your past, finding freedom in anonymity, but also notes the pull of roots, contrasting the "living wander away" with the "dead move in with us to stay".
Phyllis Ann Baker Sutula was born in Little Rock Arkansas on October 30, 1948, and died January...
Quinlan Michael “Mike” Hampston
Jan 3, 2026
Quinlan Michael Hampston, “Mike,” died in the early morning of January 3, 2026. He celebrated his final birthday on December 25, 2025. He was born prematurely to Marguerite Hampston, a homemaker and John Hampston, a WW2 ship builder, on Christmas Day, 1943 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth MN. He was always called Mike.
He is survived by his beloved wife...
David Jon Backman
Jan 2, 2026
David Jon Backman, 79, of Duluth, died Friday, January 2, 2026 in his home with family by his side. David was born in Fergus Falls, MN on April 20, 1946 to Harold and June Backman. David served in the U S Army during Vietnam. He married Cynthia Scott on September 9, 1967 in Babbitt, MN. David owned a wholesale meat...
Therese Hester (DeBot) Vaughn
Jan 1, 2026
Therese Hester (DeBot) Vaughn, 95, a lifelong Duluthian, died January 1st, 2026, faithful to the values of rootedness, intellectual inquiry, and political activism.
Therese grew up in Duluth’s Central Hillside. To her last days, she loved taking rides by her childhood home. As a young adult, she completed an LPN curriculum through St. Mary’s Hospital, then worked as a pediatric nurse...
Eric Russell Kiero
Jan 1, 2026
It is with deep sorrow we announce the unexpected passing of Eric Kiero, age 43, on January 1, 2026 with his partner and family by his side. He was a graduate of Duluth Central class of 2001. He was employed by Country Hearth, Pan-O-Gold.
A truly hardworking man, Eric took pride in everything he did. He was known to have a...
Lynn Alice Hall
Dec 30, 2025
Lynn Alice Hall, age 70 of Duluth died on December 30, 2025. She was born in Duluth on November 8, 1955 to parents, Rodney and Gail (Ellis) Edwards. She graduated from Duluth East in 1974, one year early. She continued her education, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from St. Scholastica. She worked as a cardiac nurse at...
Justin Anthony Mitchell
Dec 29, 2025
Justin Anthony Mitchell (44) of Duluth, MN, left our world on December 29, 2025. He was born on May 26, 1981, in Dell City, OK, but moved to Hot Springs, AR while still a baby and spent his early childhood there. At age 8, all long, lean, and towheaded, he made his way with his family to his mother’s native...
Joseph Pillsbury
Dec 28, 2025
Our son, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend, Joseph Todd Pillsbury, died on December 28, 2025. He leaves us grieving a life cut short by cancer, but grateful that only a few days lapsed between his diagnosis and his passing. We are constantly reminding each other that Joe is among the lucky few who get to live their dream.
Joe was born...
Dr. William Godfrey Dols
Dec 26, 2025
Dols, Dr. William Godfrey, age 98, of East Superior Street, died on the morning of December 26th, 2025 at St. Lukes Aspirus Hospital after a brief illness. William was born on January 21st, 1927 in Minneapolis, MN the youngest of seven children of William and Cecelia Dols. He would often respond proudly when asked his birthdate that ‘it’s the same...
Scott Spalding Tessier
Dec 24, 2025
Scott Spalding Tessier, of Duluth MN, passed away peacefully at his home on Dec. 24, 2025, at the young age of 64 after a hard fought and courageous battle against lung cancer. He was born in Duluth to Raymond and Patricia Tessier on Nov. 7, 1961. Scott worked for many years as an executive in the hospitality industry. He married...
Subscribe
Subscribe to get alerts on new obituaries
