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UPDATE: A graveside service for Helen will be held 3:00 pm Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Keweenaw Bay Cemetery, where Helen will be laid to rest next to Wilho. Following the graveside service at 4:00 pm a Celebration of Helen’s life will be held at the Riutta Family Farm (19575 Haappapuro Rd., Houghton, MI 49931)
Helen (Riutta) Knuuti passed away on December 16, 2025, while being lovingly cared for by family.
Born November 13, 1936, in Hancock, Michigan, Helen spent her childhood years living in Hancock with her parents, older brothers, and her younger sister Gert, eventually moving to the “Riutta” farm.
She married Wilho Knuuti in 1957 and had three children, Donald, Linda, and Jane. Wilho’s job took them from Michigan to Kentucky to Kenosha, WI. They stayed there for nearly a decade before moving to the Fox Valley area of Wisconsin in the late 1970’s, where they remained for the next 45 years.
Helen could often be found in the kitchen, humming while cooking delicious meals or baking desserts. She had a sense of humor that snuck up on you, with a quiet and quick delivery. She enjoyed painting, reading, caring for her pets over the years, and relaxing in the peace and quiet of the farm in Michigan. She adored her grandchildren, traveling to see them whenever possible, supporting them at games, birthdays, events, and graduations. Helen possessed the admirable quality of knowing the right words to say while standing for what she believed in.
She will be greatly missed by her surviving children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, as well as her large extended family.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Wilho, and her son, Donald.
Services will be held in Keweenaw Bay, Michigan May 2, 2026, where Helen will be laid to rest next to Wilho. The time of the service is yet to be determined.
To view Helen’s obituary or to send condolences to the family, please visit www.memorialchapel.net.
The Memorial Chapel Funeral & Cremation Service – Hancock Chapel is assisting the family with the arrangements.
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