Obituary of Frank Antilla

Frank Antilla, 91, WWII Veteran and resident of Little Marais and Two Harbors passed on peacefully November 7, 2018 at the lovely Solvay Hospice House in Duluth, surrounded by his wife Berdie of 67 years and sons Dean (Lily) Pepin, WI and Scott (Mona), North Oaks, MN. His son Joe passed on August 17, 2018. Frank, born in Wing, ND in 1927, was the last of 15 children of hardworking Finnish immigrants.

Frank joined the Merchant Marines at age 16 and ended up as a Wheelsman hauling military supply to Europe, arriving just before D-Day. He lost his hearing in one ear when a German bomb destroyed his ship in Belgium. After marrying Berdie in 1951, they bought acreage on Lake Superior in Little Marais before the city of Silver Bay was built. In 1976 they built "Antilla's Gifts and Scandinavian Imports" which they ran together for 25 years, finally selling it in 2003 at the age of 76.

Frank was most grateful for: working as a teenager to support his mother at numerous jobs including Engstroms Studios, the famous photographer of "Grace"; earning a BA in English at UMD; becoming an accomplished Industrial Photographer for Reserve; serving as Master of the Masonic Lodge in Silver Bay; running 5 Grandma's Marathons and skiing 6 Birkebeiners events; sailing alone across Lake Superior; driving convertibles; running 10 miles to work before his shift; and a few other endurance tests. Perhaps most of all he was grateful for his loving and beautiful wife and partner in all his affairs. He looked forward to frequent festive family gatherings and was proud of his three sons and their families.

Frank was a loving, adventurous person who enjoyed talking deeply with others and loved reminiscing about WWII with old timers. He had a passion for self improvement that propelled him to be a dedicated husband, and an honest, trustworthy, thoughtful man who was independent, self-sufficient, hard-working driven by the power of God, Sisu and positive thinking. Frank wrote an autobiography in 2010 called, "Left Home at 16: A Memoir of Strength, Courage and Faith" containing colorful stories of his earlier years and WWII.

A memorial and celebration of life will be at Sycar Lutheran Church, Silver Bay, Saturday, December 1st, 11am, followed by a luncheon.