Obituaries: July 9, 2021

Vinson Lundberg
Vinson “Vince” Lundberg, 87, of Duluth, erased the blackboard for the last time on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. A celebration of life was held on Wednesday, July 7 at the Blackwoods Grill & Bar Event Center in Proctor. Arrangements were by Dougherty Funeral Home of Duluth. 
Memorials are preferred to the American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231.
Vince was born on March 10, 1934, on the family homestead in Gheen, to Eric and Ellen Lundberg. He graduated from Orr High School, UMD with a Geology Degree, Moorhead State with a Teaching Certificate, and received his Master’s in Education from UWS. He had prospected for the Atlantic Refinery in the oil fields before he began teaching Chemistry at Duluth Central High School, retiring in 1993. He was proud to be a teacher, and he was proud of his students.  
Vince belonged to a ski club, the Duluth Curling Club, and was a lifetime member of the Duluth Elks Lodge. He enjoyed downhill skiing until the age of 83, curling, fishing on Pelican Lake, grouse hunting, traveling to Las Vegas, Laughlin, Sweden and Europe. His favorite place in the world to be was in front of the garage on the family farm in Gheen, with a cigar in one hand and a drink in the other, watching the trees grow. Vince was a people person, and he was never without a friend.
Vince is survived by his wife, Leila; nieces and nephews, Daniel of North Miami, Fla., Arnold (Mary Louise) of Alpharetta, Ga., Thomas (Barbara) of Owens Cross Roads, Ala., and Cynthia of Manassas, Va.; sister-in-law, Gail Anderson of Duluth; niece, Laurie Mallory of Two Harbors; and nephew, Keith Mallory of Mound.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Herbert and Lennart; and a sister-in-law, Becky.

Arlene F. Lamppa
Arlene Faye Crayne Lamppa, 91, of Mt. Iron, passed away at home on Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, surrounded by her family. A special thank you to the hospice care team headed by Dr. Keith Peterson and his wonderful staff of caregivers. They were tremendous help to the family. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 10 at Landmark Funeral Home in Virginia with Pastor Erik Roth officiating. Visitation will be for one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in the Vermilion Lake Township Cemetery.
She is survived by her sons, Dale (Midge) Lamppa and Dan (Nancy) Lamppa; sisters, Betty Ann (Laurie) Laakso; grandchildren, Russell Lamppa, Rena (Dave) Mesedahl, Kevin Lamppa, Lynn Lamppa and Aaron Lamppa; and numerous great-grandchildren.

Katherine G. Carlson
Katherine Gertrude Larson Carlson, 103, passed away peacefully on Dec. 31, 2020, at the Virginia Convalescent Center. 
Katherine was born on Nov. 11, 1917, to Emil and Jenny (Bystrom) Larson in Virginia. On Aug. 26, 1936, she was joined in marriage to Herbert “Swede” Carlson. They were married for 63 years when Herbert passed away.
As a teenager, Katherine worked at various resorts on Lake Vermilion cleaning cabins. Katherine worked at many area businesses over the years such as the Shirt Factory, Johnny Shop, and Singer. She was also a longtime employee of the REA. Her final job was as a cashier at the Northwinds Eating Establishment. Katherine loved people and she always had a kind word and a smile on her face.  
Katherine enjoyed many things in life. She was an excellent swimmer, and she especially loved swimming at Lake Vermilion. In high school, she played field hockey, tennis, volleyball, archery, and ran track. She also learned to play the violin. Katherine was a fantastic student; she even skipped a grade in school. She was well ahead of her time. She was a voracious reader who always had her head in a book. She loved vacationing in Hawaii, and was known for wearing her signature red earrings.
Katherine saw many things in her lifetime. She saw cars become mainstream, she saw women get the right to vote, she saw computers come to people’s homes, and she lived through two pandemics.  
Katherine is survived by four children, James Carlson of Virginia, Joyce Tuominen of Sand Lake, Andrea Merten of Lake Leander and Jayson (Pam) Carlson of Tower; many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.  
Loyal… A lengthy figure utilizing strength and skill to win a set of tennis…the humanitarian who finds beauty, even in squalor.

Becky L. Skubic
Becky Lynn Skubic, 58, passed away on Nov. 1, 2020, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth due to cancer and COVID-19. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, July 9 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Virginia with visitation beginning one hour prior to the service. Coffee and bars will be served in the social hall following the service. Burial will follow the coffee an’ at the Eveleth Cemetery. Arrangements are entrusted to Cron-Sheehy Funeral Home in Eveleth. 
Becky was born on April 17, 1962, the daughter of Woody and Deloris Anderson. She grew up in West Eveleth and graduated from Eveleth Senior High in 1980. On Sept. 7, 1991, Becky was united in marriage to Paul Skubic. Their son, Matt was born in 1994. They lived in Eveleth prior to moving to Lake Vermilion.
Becky loved being at the lake. She loved having friends and family over. She enjoyed cooking, playing cards and games, having the ladies spend the night, and boating on the lake. She enjoyed life and was fun to be with. Becky was always the first one to show up to help when needed. 
She loved her sleepovers with her great nephew, Briggs. He was a light in her life. Becky was so proud of their son, Matt. She always looked forward to his time spent at the lake with her and Paul. She also loved their family dog, Nelli (little girl), and the new pet additions, Tipsy and Cheddar Bob.
Becky was employed at Virginia Public Schools as a paraprofessional. She enjoyed the students and her great coworkers. She was always ready to go back to school after the summer break.
Becky is survived by her husband, Paul Skubic; son, Matthew (Megan Campbell) Skubic; sister, Tracey (Eric) Skalbeck; nephew, Jake (Melissa Dorn) Skalbeck; sister-in-law, Sue Anderson; nieces, Katie (Stacie) Anderson and Jennifer (Dusty Pond) Anderson; great-nephews, Briggs Behrens and Conner Trombley; great-nieces, Tori, Payton and Paige Trombley; brothers and sisters-in-law, Mike (Diane French) Skubic, Ann and Bruce Peterson, Tom and Carol Skubic and Jim and Cyndy Skubic; and numerous nieces and nephews in the Skubic and Peterson families.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Woody and Deloris Anderson; brother, Jeff (Buff) Anderson; father and mother-in-law, Ed and Teddy Skubic; sister-in-law, Vicki Skubic; and Katie Rannikar who was a second mother to her.

Amanda D. Bjork
Amanda “Mandi” Dawn Bjork, 30, of Virginia, died on Thursday, July 1, 2021. A celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 9 at the Evangelical Free Church in Embarrass. Pastor Marlin Bjornrud will officiate. Inurnment will take place in the Embarrass Cemetery. Family services are provided by Bauman-Cron, a Bauman Family Funeral Home in Virginia. 
Mandi’s family wishes to thank Lake County Chaplain Walter Crabtree, and all who supported Mandi in her life journey. Memorials are preferred and may be directed to National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Iron Range Chapter.
She is survived by her parents, Todd and Kimberly Bjork of Embarrass; sisters, Missy Bjork of Mt. Iron, Jossy Bjork of Embarrass and Heather (Nathan) Destasio of Duluth; maternal grandmother, Darlene Larson of Bullhead City, Ariz.; aunts and uncles, Donna (Mike) Tokarczyk of Two Harbors, Gene (Yvonne) Larson of Duluth, Scott Larson of Duluth and Tami (Tony Jensen) Bjork of Chisholm; great-uncle, Randy (Rebecca) Snook; numerous cousins, including Nick, Jaime, Kasey, Sarah, Justin and Jason; extended family and friends, including special friends, Ruth, Brenda and Ashley.

Blanche A. Yourczek
Blanche “Wendy” Ann Yourczek, 87, of Angora, passed away peacefully in her home on Saturday, July 3, 2021. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 11 at Mlaker Funeral Home in Cook. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. A luncheon will be held immediately following the service at the Cook VFW. Military Honors will be accorded by the Cook VFW Post 1757 and Orr American Legion Post 480 Honor Guards.
Memorials may be directed to Contented Critters Animal Shelter, K9’s for Warriors (service dogs for Veterans) or the Masonic Cancer Center.