Obituary: Pauline Mae (Toyra) Belopavlovich

Hubbell: Pauline Belopavlovich, a resident of Christian Community Home in Osceola, WI passed away peacefully October 20, 2018. Pauline was born in Calumet, Michigan, to Wilbert and Aina (Jarvi) Toyra on May 3, 1927. She grew up in the Copper Country and graduated from Dollar Bay High School. After a brief time in Milwaukee she returned to the U.P and married Kendall Hakala on September 17, 1949. With Ken she raised four children. Baking and cooking were always her favorite activities. Once all her children were in school, she began working, supervising the Edwardsburg high school kitchen for a number of years, and also worked in the kitchen at the Foursquare in Edwardsburg. Pauline was also an active member of the American Legion, and loved to bowl. She ran the Edwardsburg Band Boosters Food Booth at the Cass County Fair for 10 years. After Ken died in 1978, she returned to her home territory of the Keweenaw for a visit and met an old flame, Paul Belopavlovich whom she married October 18, 1980.
The couple lived in White Pine most of the year but spent every weekend in the summer as residents at the Hancock Campground. Upon Paul’s retirement they moved to his place on the hill in Hubbell, MI. Pauline was an active volunteer once again, helping to serve holiday meals with Little Brothers in Hancock for 10 years. She also spent many years serving meals at the Senior Center in Lake Linden. She was active in a bowling league and she loved to go to garage sales every Saturday morning with her brother, Jack Toyra & wife Shirley and played bingo whenever possible.
Pauline was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Hubbell for 27 years, and a friend of St. Cecelia’s Catholic Church in Hubbell, which she attended with Paul.
After Paul passed away in January, 2011, Pauline moved to Spooner, WI where she was active in the Spooner United Methodist Church. She entered Maple Ridge Care Center of Spooner in June, 2016. In the summer of 2018 she moved to CCH in Osceola.
Proud of her Finnish and Upper Peninsula heritage, Pauline loved all things Yooper, such as polkas, pasties and cardamom bread. She was master of the monster cookie and queen of the Saturday garage sales, and bingo. She loved her family, extended family and step family and showed her love through many care packages of cookies. She took delight in meeting new friends and could be counted to learn more details about her new friends’ lives in less time than anyone ever thought possible.
Pauline is survived by her children, Cheryl (Jack) Starr of Osceola, WI, John (Luann) Hakala of White Pigeon, MI, Greg (Brenda) Hakala of Edwardsburg, MI and Jim (Jean) Hakala of Longmont, CO; grandchildren, Jenny (Chris), Nicholas, Lucas (Lauren) Josh (Sarah), Zachary (Jessica), Leah (Kieran) and Hannah; 8 great grandchildren, and nephews Jay (Karen) and Jeffrey (Ildiko) Toyra and niece, Jacque (Bill) King.
She is preceded in death by both husbands, her parents, her brother, Jack and his wife, Shirley, and her grandson, Jonathan
A Celebration of Pauline’s life will be held at Pearce Funeral Home in Lake Linden, MI on Saturday, November 10, 2018 at 11 am. There will be an hour of visitation before the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested memorials to Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly of Hancock; Christian Community Home of Osceola or Heartland Hospice Memorial Fund.
Online condolences may be left at pearcefuneralhome.com