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ATLANTIC MINE
William (Bill) John Coponen, 85, a resident of Atlantic Mine, passed away on February 25, 2019, at the UP Health System in Marquette, Mich., after a brief illness.
He was born March 28, 1933, in Painesdale, to the late Martha and Urho Coponen.
Bill was a veteran of the U.S. Army serving in the Korean War.
He was a member of the Atlantic Mine Apostolic Lutheran Church as well as a lifetime member of the Ranger Post 6165 VFW.
He was married to Helen (Schance) Coponen on February 1, 1958.
Surviving are four sons and one daughter, James (Shirley) Coponen of Atlantic Mine, Daniel (Anne) Coponen of Atlantic Mine, William (Gwen) Coponen of New Ipswich, New Hampshire, Katie (Cliff) Rajala of Greer, South Carolina, and Michael Coponen of Taylor’s South Carolina; 27 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Besides his parents, Bill was also preceded in death by his wife; an infant son; one brother, Wallace Coponen; and one sister, Helen Alaperet. Surviving siblings are five sisters, Hazel Torvinen, Gladys (Pete) Bartkus, Gloria (Wally) Riutta, Verna (Harold) LaMothe, and Virgie (Larry) Keteri; two brothers, David Coponen and Douglas (Donna) Coponen.
Bill was a truck driver and had other various jobs before retiring from the National Park Service after 27 years. He loved being outdoors and enjoyed hunting and fishing.
Funeral services will be held at the Atlantic Mine Apostolic Lutheran Church on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, at 1 p.m. with Doug Coponen to officiate. Visitation will be from 11:30 a.m. until the time of service. A meal will follow the service.
Arrangements are being handled by the Mountain View Mortuary of South Range, Antila Funeral Service, Inc, Online condolences may be expressed to the family at antilafuneral.com.
