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As received from the Reid Funeral Service and Chapel:
Della Salonen/Maki Jestila, 87 years, old, has entered Heaven’s Dance, July 1st, at home; childen Debra (Jestila) Mikolaizik of Renton, WA, Shelly Jestila of Skanee, owner of the Bella Vista Bar, and Michael Jestila of Hancock were with her for her final month.
Also surviving is brother Daniel Maki of Arheim, MI along with grandchildren Christie Jestila and James Jestila, Christopher Mikolaizik, Janelle Mikolaizik, Leslie (Mikolaizik) Kiehl, and grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Niece Bonny Tikkanen Cotter, retired BCMH nurse, was tremendously supportive in our 3rd at home hospice.
Preceeded in death by Edward Jestila, sons Gerald and Larry Jestila, her parents William Salonen, Margaret Seelye Maki, step dad Arne Maki and her sisters June (Salonen/Maki) Mervar, and Margaret ‘Muggs’ (Maki) Tikkanen, along with brother Arne ‘Mutty’ Maki.
Della met Edward in L’Anse High School and shared the same bus home after her family moved outside town. Conveniently close they met, married, and then bought 40 acres between her family and his family farms. They jury- rigged an engine with a saw blade, and logged, cut and milled the lumber to build a family home with trees from the land and help from both families.
Della was well known in the community and was involved in many things. She taught Vacation Bible School at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church to hundreds of the local children getting to know so many.
Service onto others was important to her. She became a fundraiser, a community activist thru her discovery of her mom’s Huntington’s Disease, a genetic disease. She raised funds and press awareness and was thrilled when scientists found the first genetic markers of HD due to fundraising and research.
She started work at L’Anse Sears Catalog Store in 1972 after working there for years she bought it with goal of making it the friendliest store in town. She followed this with brief time working at Casino Hotel, and some day shifts at Bella Vista.
She had many passions. If you knew Della, you knew she loved to bake. At holidays, she went all out, one Thanksgiving making 12 pies. Christmas was excuse to bake cookies, prune tarts, molasses cookies, sweet breads, fruit loaves, Nissu, pulla, cinnamon rolls, lots of Finnish favorites. Her lemon meringue pies were memorable. Her pumpkin cream cheese bars were beyond belief. Her kitchen was her favorite room of all, she kept massive collection of recipes, and was eager to show them off. In her final days, she slipped and fell doing her 2nd favorite thing, cooking a vegetarian imitation nutty burger.
Dancing was her favorite past time these last 30 years. Most recent were the Sunday afternoon gatherings at the South Range Eagles Club with her dancing circle of friends, her ‘family’ of choice. Traveling to dances kept Della young at heart, and physically fit to outlast so many. She would carpool to neighboring states, through any kind of weather, put on dancing shoes and live it up on the dancefloor, wherever there was a dance.
Della loved clothes, for every day, dressing up, even to go shopping or traveling. A day or two before each dance, she’d pick out the perfect outfit, matching clothes, shoes, jewelry – the more sparkles, the better. It had to be just so and then would brag about how cheap she pieced ensembles together.
In 2010 Della started having her celebration of life dances at the Whirl-i-Gig. She had 175 guests attend. Hosting these yearly in the fall was a way to celebrate cooler weather, colored leaves peak and bring all her friends together along with her family to have another dance to add to their calendars to look forward to and a reason for relatives to plan a visit, a family reunion of sorts.
In lieu of a funeral, please join us in her annual Celebration of Life memorial, Saturday, September 23rd, at the Whirl-i-Gig. Per her wishes, we will have a few days of an estate sale there where you can pick out a new outfit for the special occasions in your life and think of her.
Della’s obituary may also viewed and condolences sent to the family at www.reidfuneralservicechapel.com
The Reid Funeral Service and Chapel, L’Anse has been entrusted with the arrangements.
