As received from the Erickson Crowley Peterson Funeral Home. If you have questions about, or potential corrections to the content, please contact the funeral home directly.
William W. Rajaniemi, age 74, of Grant Township, passed away Monday, December 1, 2025, at Aspirus Keweenaw hospital in Laurium. He was born March 20, 1951 in Laurium, Michigan to William G. Rajaniemi and Judith E. Hill. He attended the Calumet schools, and received his diploma in 1981 after taking night classes to complete his high school studies in the winter of 1980-81.
He believed that he lived a life that others dreamt of. In that life:
He married twice. First to Kimberly J. Kilpela in Rapid City, SD with whom he had two sons who survive him: William J and John Rajaniemi of Mohawk.
Second to Susan Douglas Herring in 2005 on the beach east of Little Betsy who also survives him.
He was a member of the Merchant Marine starting in 1969 through the mid-1970s. In the mid to late 1970s he was a diamond driller with the Corps of Engineers. From the late 1970s to 2008 he was a truck driver for several companies. The majority of his career was with Peninsula Copper Industries in Hubbell. Through these vocations he got to see 49 out of the 50 States, with the only exception being Hawaii. Through his truck driving career his first wife and sons got to see parts of the country they may never have otherwise gotten to see.
For many years, he spent a couple of weeks a summer camping with his first wife and sons at Lake Medora, Oliver Bay, and the very spot where he would eventually marry his second wife.
He spent his retirement at his home at South Point with his second wife. A home with a big bay window looking out at Lake Superior where he once sailed in his younger years.
He had been a fan of the Carolina Panthers since they were an expansion team in the mid-1990s.
He is survived by his brother Steven Rajaniemi of Algonac, MI and sister Allyn Beth Rajaniemi of Pickens, SC. He is preceded in death by his parents and brother Donn Rajaniemi.
His “who has more fun than us kids” attitude will be sorely missed.
Per his wishes, there will not be a funeral. His ashes will be spread in a private ceremony.
The Erickson Crowley Peterson Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be left at www.ericksoncrowleypeterson.com
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