June Lenore Rogo

HURLEY, Wis. - June Lenore Rogo, 89, of Hurley, passed away peacefully at her home of more than sixty-six years on Dec. 13, 2022.

Lenore was born in South Carey on April 17, 1933, to the late Sulo and Martha (Mattson) Kangas, and was delivered by her grandmother/midwife, Eva (Kangas) Mannikko.

She attended grade school in South Carey under the direction of Alice Sturgal, who recognized early on her academic potential. She excelled in school and graduated after just turning 17 from Lincoln High School with the class of 1950.

Shortly after graduation, she married her high school sweetheart and the love of her life, Theodore "Ted" Rogo. They lived in South Carey for a short time before moving to Hurley, where they raised their family.

Our Mother loved to cook, and you could always find her in her "messy" kitchen. In addition to taking care of a large family, she still managed to enjoy her many hobbies, including gardening and canning in the fall. For years, we had the best garden that produced an abundance of vegetables. She was also a seamstress and sewed many of our clothes when we were young.

She loved oil painting, especially themes of animals and scenery. All of her children have portraits of their pets. Her artwork and needlepoint were displayed throughout our home. She was very health conscious and remained active into her elderly years.

She was very proud of her Finnish heritage, often telling stories of growing up amongst her Finnish-speaking relatives and even picking up on the language. When her youngest child entered high school, she was hired by the Hurley School District to work in the Food Service Department. She loved her job and especially loved serving the kids, and they loved her. When she had to take some time off due to health reasons, she received cards from some of the students who wondered when she was coming back because the food "wasn't tasting very good." She loved hearing that from the students. After 16 and a half years, she retired and was able to enjoy many years with our father until his passing at their beautiful cabin in Lake Tomahawk. Her strong character, will, beliefs - her "sisu" - helped her get through the hard times. She was our strength.

She is survived by her children, JoAnn (Jim) Bertagnoli of Manitowish Waters, Mark Rogo of Eau Claire, Rachelle Nasi of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Caroline (Brian) Emswiler of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and Alan Rogo of Ironwood, Michigian, who she continued to cook for until the end; her grandchildren, Sara (Joshua) Reams, Jacob (Rachel) Bertagnoli, Stephanie (Zachary) Leclair, Mark Nasi, Jacqueline (Roman) Huerta, Danielle (Aaron) Hanchek, Alyssa Rogo and Ryan Emswiler; eight great-grandchildren, whom she adored; sister, Arlene of Milwaukee; sister-in-law, Rose Mary Rossi of Hurley; her very special nieces, Margaret and her husband, Lanny Peterson, who always found time for her on their many trips to Hurley, and Joette Rossi Luich and her husband Tom; and last but not least her "adopted" son, Ken Nichols, who visited her daily bringing her the papers and making sure she was OK. Ken will continue to always be a part of our family.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Ted; daughter, Sandra; son, Christopher; and sisters, Anna Gertz and Florence Korpela.

We the family especially want to thank Avanti Home Health Care, who made it possible for our Mother to remain in her home, where she wanted to be.

Burial will take place in the spring at St. Mary's Cemetery in Hurley.

A donation to the HOPE Animal Shelter will be made in her memory.

Friends may leave condolences to Lenore's family online at mckevittpatrickfuneralhome.com.

The family has chosen McKevitt-Patrick Funeral Home, Ironwood, to honor Lenore's legacy of life.