Feb 9, 2021
SOUTH RANGE Wilmer Wilho Wiitala, 87, a resident of South Range, passed away Saturday, February 6, 2021, at Mission Point of Hancock.
He was born in Misery Bay on June 3, 1933, the son of Wilho and Lilja (Wiideman) Wiitala. As a third-generation Finnish American, he was taught Finnish at home before he learned English at school, and remained fluent throughout his life. He attended the one-room Misery Bay grade school before graduating from Jeffers High School in 1951.
After graduation he served in the United States Navy aboard the destroyer USS Stribling, and was an active member of the VFW Post 6165 of South Range for much of his life.