Verna Pentilla

Verna I. Pentilla, 91, of Kenton, MI, passed away Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at Northstar Health System, Iron River. She was born October 9, 1921 in Bruce Crossing, MI, the daughter of the late Andrew and Ida (Tuomela) Haapala. She attended the Ewen Schools, graduating from Ewen High School with the Class of 1939. Verna married Arthur Pentilla on September 5, 1942 in Waukegan, IL. In Waukegan she worked as a cook for a family and later worked at a chemical company. In 1946 she moved to Kenton where she worked at the grocery store, Hoppys ' Bar for sixty years and the U.S. Forest Service for 22 years, retiring in 1986. She was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church of Trout Creek, the American Legion Auxiliary of Trout Creek, and the Kenton Historical Society. She was an election worker for 25 years and also volunteered for various groups. Verna loved sports and was an avid Chicago Cubs fan, Detroit Lions fan, and MSU fan. She also enjoyed crossword puzzles and going to the casino. Verna was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur and brother, Wilbert ""Hoppy"" Haapala. She is survived by her sons, Roy (Elaine) Pentilla of Glen Arbor, MI, and Norman Pentilla of Kenosha, WI, four grandchildren, and four great grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 8, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at the Trinity Lutheran Church of Trout Creek. Interment will be in Hillside Cemetery, Bruce Crossing, MI. Funeral arrangements by the Jacobs Funeral Home of Iron River. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Verna Pentilla, please visit our flower store.