Obituary: Meryl Kallio

As received from the Erickson Crowley Peterson Funeral Home:

Meryl Louise Kallio died peacefully on Saturday evening, October 23, 2021, at Gardenview Assisted Living where she had resided since March, 2015. She was 98 years of age.

She was born in Hancock on January 9, 2023, to James Hebbard and Meryl Louise (Ellis) Hebbard but grew up in Allouez from the time of her birth until just after her graduation from Calumet High School in 1940. She was only 17 at the time of graduation so she continued her education for an additional year at Calumet High School before moving to Detroit to find employment at the end of the great depression. She resided in Detroit initially with the family of her uncle, Merlon Ellis, and worked first at the Sanders chain of restaurants. She then worked for the Army Air Corps at its Willow Run aircraft plant.

In 1943, she married Frank Tercha of Flint who was then serving the Navy in Detroit training naval personnel to maintain and repair PT boat engines manufactured by Packard Motor Car Company. She was married to her first husband until his untimely death in 1975. After the Second World War, she and her husband resided for a short time in Flint where he worked as a tool and die maker for General Motors. They then moved to Allouez so that Frank could attend what is now Michigan Tech under the GI bill. With the arrival of two sons, Frank left college and went to work briefly in one of the local underground mines operated by Calumet & Hecla.

In 1950, Meryl and her husband founded Tercha Music House in Calumet. They resided in Calumet and sold band instruments, musical supplies, and records for 25 years as well as a range of other goods. Eventually, the business was expanded to include the sale of liquid propane throughout the northern part of Houghton County and all of Keweenaw County. During this time, Meryl had an active life in business as well as socially. She was a member of the White Shrine and Eastern Star. Her husband and she had many friends. They traveled, too. They made several trips to the American West. In addition, Meryl enjoyed bowling, knitting and especially square dancing at the Mohawk American Legion Post and Copper City Fire Hall.

In 1978, after the death of her first husband, Meryl married Russell Kallio of Traprock Valley. After Russell’s retirement, the couple visited Finland and Alaska. They purchased a condominium in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where they spent several winters.

After Russell died in 1990, Meryl continued to reside in Traprock Valley and to winter in Lake Havasu where she made many friends and where she frequently met “snowbirds” from the Keweenaw who also took refuge in Havasu during the winter. For several years, she attended art and homemaking classes at Mohave Community College. In 1997, she moved from Traprock Valley to reside again in Calumet.

Meryl traveled often in the 1990s, including visits to Cornwall and Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, New Zealand, and China.

Suffering from dementia in its early stages, Meryl took up residence at Gardenview in 2015.

Meryl was predeceased by her parents, her first and second husbands, and also by her step-daughters, Mavis Pietila and Susan Spalding. Meryl is survived by her sons, James F. Tercha of Calumet and Robert J. (Audrey) Tercha of Iron Mountain. She is also survived by her grandson, Mark (Amanda) Tercha of Milwaukee and his children, Brook Ashley, and Wyatt, by her grandson, Michael (Melissa) Tercha of Oshkosh and his children, Abigail, Samuel, and Calvin, and by her granddaughters, Maureen Tercha of Iron Mountain and Melanie Tercha, presently of Bumbletown. She is also survived by her step-daughter, Patricia Sullivan of Bozeman, Montana, and her children and grandchildren, her step-son, Peter (Jeanene) Kallio of Holland, Michigan, and, also a part of her extended family, Peter (Jill) Pietila of Sedar Bay and his children and grandchildren and the children of Susan Spalding.

Meryl was a lifelong member of Christ Church Episcopal of Calumet. In her youth, she also attended services at the Methodist Church located between New Allouez and Ahmeek which had the advantage of being accessible by foot when travel was difficult during the depression. This early event was one of the few aspects of her life that she recalled in her final years as she was affected increasingly by dementia.

Meryl’s family thanks Shannon Handler, physician’s assistant, of Keweenaw Aspirus and all of the many kind people at Gardenview for their excellent assistance to their mother and grandmother during her last years.

The family has entrusted the Erickson-Crowley-Peterson Funeral Home of Calumet with funeral arrangements. After cremation, burial will be at the Lakeview Cemetery. For several decades and until the onset of her disability, Meryl was an avid fan on the Detroit Tigers, catching most of their televised games. Fittingly, a tastefully appointed Detroit Tigers cremation urn has been selected to contain her ashes. Condolences can be left for the family at ericksoncrowleypeterson.com