Edwin Penttinen
Edwin Arnold Penttinen, 81, passed away peacefully on Good Friday, April 2, 2021, in New Hope, MN. Ed was born in Becker County, Shell Lake Twp to William and Mary (Anderson) Penttinen at their small farm. Ed grew up there and went to country school Dist# 82, and graduated from High School in Frazee, MN, in 1956. Shortly after graduation he worked in the Twin Cities and then worked as a merchant marine on the Great Lakes doing iron ore shipping.
In 1958, Ed went to Alaska to join his friends, Robert and Art Latto. He went on to meet many interesting characters including, Walter Bulwinkle and Anti Havisto, and relocated to Fairbanks, AK. In 1968, he went to California and trained for under-water welding and qualified to weld up to depths of 180 feet. During the years of 1968 to 1974, he returned to Minneapolis to work as an iron worker and welder on larger projects including the IDS Center, Multi Foods Tower, and the Becker Power Plant. Ed returned to Alaska in 1