Grace 'Toni' Suutala

IRONWOOD, Mich. - Grace "Toni" Suutala, 91, passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 20, 2021, at Westgate Nursing Home in Ironwood.

She was born to Samuel and Nellie (Bayliss) Cheney on May 16, 1930, in England. She met the love of her life, John "Herbie" Suutala in Leicester, England, when he was stationed near there serving in the U.S. Air Force. They married on Aug. 15, 1953, in Leicester, and moved to Ironwood Township in 1954, where they raised their family.

Grace loved gardening, feeding and watching birds, sewing, and was a great seamstress. She enjoyed cooking and baking and was a caregiver her whole life who was always there to help. At Westgate Nursing Home, Toni enjoyed puzzles and bingo and was known as the "snack lady" always offering her treats to the staff and other residents.

She is survived by her sons, Howard (Kristia) Suutala of Wilton, California, Rock (Janice) Suutala of Neenah, Wisconsin, and David Suutala of Kimball, Wisconsin; her daughters, Kym Suutala of Chandler, Arizona and Karen (Dave) Pertile of Ironwood; grandchildren, Carrissa (Corrado) Pannuzzo of Neenah, Wisconsin, Makensie (Kyrsten) Wilman of Chandler, Arizona, and Samantha (Kevin) Pertile of Jackson. Michigan; great-grandchildren, Auggie and Leo Pannuzzo; sister-in-law, Karen (Anders) Tingstad; and niece, Lian (Colin) Smith and their children. Toni is further survived by other nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, John, in 2015; brother, David Cheney; and other brothers and sisters in England.

A private family inurnment will take place at Sunset Acres Cemetery in Ironwood Township.

The family has chosen Ketola-Burla Funeral Home of Ironwood to honor Grace's legacy of life. You can leave a condolence or a tribute at rangefuneralservices.com.