Mildred Raisanen (Halonen), age 82, of Cokato, passed away February 16, 2013.
Mildred E. Halonen was born on January 22, 1931, in Hazelton, North Dakota to Charles and Tyyne Halonen. She spent her childhood years in the Dakotas, until the family moved to Minnesota, where she graduated from White Bear Lake High School. Millie was confirmed as a youth in the Christian faith at the Laestadian Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.
Millie met Paul Raisanen in late 1952, and they were married in September 1953 in Minneapolis. They farmed in West Albion area for a few years before moving to a farm north of Cokato in 1957. There they farmed and raised their children until retirement in 1990. At that time, Millie and Paul moved to the town of Cokato, where they spent their golden years.
Millie passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 16, 2013, at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. Funeral services were held on Tuesday, February 19 at the Cokato Laestadian Lutheran
Church, and burial was at the Cokato Finnish Cemetary.
Millie is survived by her husband of 59 years, Paul; children Randall (Sheryle Sturos), Warren (Brita Bekkala), and Susan of Arizona; Joan (Mark Kotila), Mary (George Koivukangas), Gordon (Ruth Hannus), Kenneth (Pearl Phillips), Bruce (Patricia Johnson), Carolyn Mattila, Heidi (Larry Torola), Dwight, Laura (Evan Bekkala), and Philip, of Minnesota; Gretchen (Mark Plough), and Kirsti (Nick Lang) of Washington, many grandchildren and great grandchildren, several sisters and brothers.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her stepmother, twobrothers, a sister, a son-in-law, two grandchildren, and a great-grandchild.
Funeral service Tuesday, February 19, 11 am at Cokato Laestadian Lutheran Church.
Visitation 1 hr prior to service at church and Monday, February 18, 4-8pm with 7pm prayer at Swanson Peterson Funeral Home in Cokato