Lila S. Maki

Lila S. Maki, age 90, of Iron River, MI, passed away Monday, July 17, 2017 at Iron River Care Center. The youngest of nine children, Lila was born December 7, 1926 in Beechwood, MI, to Walpur and Erick Salo.   She attended the Beechwood School and graduated from Iron River High School. Lila married John Henry Maki on June 19, 1954 and they were lifelong residents of Iron River. They celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary in 2013. John Henry preceded her in death on October 4, 2013. Lila was a loving and caring mother, grandmother and great grandmother to her daughter Donna and son-in-law, Floyd Banks; granddaughters, Lori (John) Wenning and Leigh Ann (fiancée, Casey Jensen) Banks; great grandchildren, Dylan Schimelpfenig and Senia Wenning. She was also a compassionate and true friend to many – young and old. Lila worked for the Iron River Nursing Home and the Iron River Public Schools. She was a lifelong member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, serving as Treasurer of the Ladies Aid and teaching Sunday and Vacation Bible School.  She was proud of her Finnish heritage, speaking fluent Finn. She was the “go to” person when anyone had questions about Finnish ancestors or local history. She had a passion for jig-saw puzzles, never letting one go uncompleted. She was preceded in death by six brothers, Arthur, John, Carl, Wilbert, Ernest, and Eli, and two sisters, Senia and Siami. Visitation will be held Friday, July 21, 2017 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. St. Paul’s Lutheran Church of Iron River. Funeral services will follow at 2:30 p.m. with Rev. Larry Steckling to officiate. Interment will be in Rosehill Cemetery. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Lila S. Maki, please visit our flower store.