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Gerald T. Salmela Obituary – 12/14/2009


Funeral services will take place Saturday, May 22 for Gerald Thomas Salmela, age 79, of Dassel, who died Monday, Dec. 14, 2009, at Lakeside Health Care Center of Dassel.

The service will be at First Apostolic Lutheran Church in Dassel at 10:30 a.m., with visitation one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will follow at the Cokato Finnish cemetery.

Arrangements are by the Swanson-Peterson Funeral Home of Cokato.

Gerald was born in Cokato Township Aug. 12, 1930, the son of Albert and Elina (Myllykangas) Salmela. He grew up on the farm and went through grade school at Dewey School, then graduated from Cokato High School in 1948.

In 1950, when his brother went into the army, Gerald helped his parents with farm work. After his brother returned from service, Gerald went to work in road building for Barton Road Construction, where he worked for 25 years as a truck driver.

He is survived by his daughter, Christine Salmela of Virginia Beach, VA; brother Lloyd Salmela of Cokato; sisters Darlene (Ralph) Dokken of Littleton, CO, and Sandra Salmela of Santa Monica, CA; and aunts and uncles, Mildred Hendrickson of Dassel, Earl and Mildren Myllykangas of Stanwood, WA, and Ernest and Bernice Salmela of Hastings.

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