Paul Eugene Salonen

DULUTH, Minn. - Paul Eugene Salonen, 70, of Bergland, Mich., passed away on Jan. 22, 2018 in Duluth, after a brief illness.

Paul was born on March 17, 1947, to Ernest and Ida Salonen and attended Bergland Community Schools, graduating in the summer of 1965. He enlisted in the United States Air Force later that year, and was stationed at Loring Air Force Base in northeastern Maine for the duration of his service. He married the former Karen Worachek, a woman he long chased but could never quite catch until, as he often said, "Air Force basic training made him lean and mean," on May 25, 1968, and they made their home in Bergland after completing his service commitment in January of 1969, eventually welcoming two sons, Eric, in 1974, and Troy, in 1979. Paul was employed by the White Pine Copper Company between 1969 and 1995, as well as spending a brief period of time as a deputy in the Ontonagon County Sheriff's Department. He and Karen owned and operated Sully's Bar in Bergland from 1996 until 2010.

Paul was an avid fan of the Green Bay Packers, (often wondering how, or why, his two sons ever became Detroit Lions fans), the Detroit Tigers, the Detroit Red Wings and the University of Michigan. He enjoyed a variety of television programs, as well as feeding the various birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits that visited his backyard feeder. He had a nickname for everyone, a vernacular all his own, and an unmistakable and unforgettable laugh.

He will be forever missed by his loving family.

Paul is survived by his wife, Karen, and his sons, Eric (Jackie), of Blaine, Minn., and Troy (Rebecca), of Eau Claire, Wis .; his three grandchildren, Gabriel, Grayson, and Weston; his sister, Kay, of Covington, Mich., and his brothers-in-law, Kenneth (Linda) Worachek and Larry (Judy) Worachek, as well as four nieces (Debra, Penny, Diana, and Tammy) and seven nephews, (Ernest, Eugene, Ronald, William, Harold Jr., Chris, and Aaron) and great-nieces and nephews, other extended family, and many friends. He was preceded in death his parents, Ernest and Ida, his brother, Ernest, and sister-in-law, Sharon, his mother and father-in-law, Evelyn and Marcel Worachek, brothers-in-law, Harold Sikkila, Charles Worachek and Gerald Worachek, and grand-niece, Holly Sullivan.

Funeral services are scheduled for Monday, Jan. 29, at 1 p.m. at the Cane Funeral Home-Bruce Crossing Chapel, officiated by Pastor Ted Trudgeon. Friends may call at the funeral home one hour prior to the start of the service. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Paul's life. Spring internment will be conducted at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Bergland. The Cane Funeral Home is assisting the family. Paul's family would like to extend a special thanks to the staff at St. Luke's Medical Center in Duluth for their wonderful and compassionate care of their husband and father.