Ellen Agnes Hallikainen

Ellen Agnes Hallikainen, age 90, of Menahga, passed away peacefully at Green Pine Acres Nursing Home in Menahga on January 13, 2024. Ellen had always looked forward to great and wonderful adventures that awaited her in heaven.

Ellen was born on April 18, 1933, to Oscar and Lillian (Samuelson) Johnson on her parent’s farm, southeast of Menahga in Meadow Township.  Ellen attended District #39 country school, a mile-and-a-half walk from her home.  As a young woman, Ellen grew up helping with household chores as well as farm work.

On February 1, 1953, Ellen was united in marriage to Henry Hallikainen, they were blessed with nine children: Marlene, Marie, Glen, Marvin, Herman, Doris, Lenora “Lana”, Leon, and Theresa.  Ellen devoted her life to making a warm and loving home for her husband and children.  She was a wonderful cook and baker and will be remembered for her homemade breads and wonderful meals.  When anyone stopped by, she always put the coffee pot on and had kahvileipä.

In addition to caring for her family, Ellen also helped with farm work, milking cows, and feeding livestock.  Each spring Ellen would plant a garden, harvesting to feed her growing family.  For many years it seemed there was always a long line of diapers on the outside clotheslines no matter what the season was.  When she was beyond raising her own children, she was a devoted grandma, helping to care for her grandchildren.

Ellen loved the outdoors and grew up in blueberry country and absolutely loved picking wild blueberries.  One of her things on her bucket list in the nursing home was to go and pick blueberries “one more time.”  Last summer, lo and behold, the nursing home had planned a trip to a blueberry farm and Ellen got to pick her blueberries, one more time!  She talked about that trip for a long time.

Ellen was proud of her Finnish heritage, being a fluent speaker.  She visited Finland once and was pleased to share that her Ancestry result did indeed show she was 100% Finnish.

Ellen served as a volunteer in the Living at Home and Senior Companion Program for several years after Henry died.  She got to meet and make great friends of the clients she served.

Ellen will be lovingly remembered by her four daughters: Marlene, Marie (Jerome) Pietila, Doris (Jeffrey) Colburn, and Theresa Gartner; one son: Herman Hallikainen; three sisters: Milia Gwin of Roxboro, North Carolina, Sophie Limanen and Elsie Erickson of Cloquet, Minnesota; one brother, Emil Johnson of Menahga; one sister-in-law Hilda Lehtimaki of Menahga as well as many nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends.  Ellen was Grandma to 14 grandchildren, many more great-grandchildren, and several great-great grandchildren, and was known as “grandma” to many more.

Ellen was preceded in death by her husband, Henry, three sons: Glen Henry, Leon Ernest, and Marvin Peter; one daughter, Lenora “Lana” Joan Renneberg.  Also preceding her in death were two brothers; Albert and George, seven sisters-in-law; Janice Johnson, Lila Johnson, and Dorothy Johnson; Ida Maki, Alma, Lillian, and Ada Hallikainen, two brothers-in-law; Melvin Limanen and Donald Erickson.

Funeral services will be held Monday, January 22, 2024, at 11 a.m. at Christ Lutheran Church in Wolf Lake, Minnesota.  Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 pm on Sunday, January 21, 2024, at Christ Lutheran Church.  Interment will be at Green Valley Cemetery following service and lunch at the church. Burial will be at Green Valley Cemetery following the service and lunch at the Wolf Lake Lions Hall.

Minä rakastan sinua Gramma!