L'ANSE, Mich. — Milton H. Salo, age 96, of L'Anse, passed away at his interim residence at Gardenview Assisted Living, in Calumet, Michigan on June 21, 2026.
Milton was born on August 14, 1929, in Hancock, Michigan, the son of the late Henry and Helmi (Haapapuro) Salo. Milton and Karen (Anderson) were united in marriage at First Lutheran Church in L'Anse in 1950. Soon after they moved to L'Anse for employment and to establish their home together. They would spend the next 70 years of their lives together.
Milton will be remembered for his pride in his Finnish heritage, love of family and his desire to be immersed in anything to do with the woods or mining. Throughout his life he enjoyed all things Finnish, including the winter tradition of Heikinpaiva in Hancock. He especially loved following local musicians and enjoyed Finnish old-time music.
An original employee of Cleveland Cliffs in Humboldt, Michigan, Milton retired from Cliffs Republic Mine as a maintenance foreman. Retirement was just the beginning of adventures to come.
Post-retirement was hardly boring as you could have just as easily found Milton "in the bush" cutting a truckload of sawlogs or up in Alaska with dear friend Harold Mitchell mining for gold. His love of writing allowed him to rub elbows with local authors in writing classes. He was quite proud of his short stories published in "The Bay Prospector." A lifelong lover of reading, Milton enjoyed stories about Finnish folklore and local history, which he loved to share with his children and grandchildren. In his early years he loved to fish and enjoyed fishing with his dad and extended family. Many great fish stories were shared and recounted. The art of log cabin building and restoration was also an important interest to Milton. He spent many an hour assisting in early Hanka homestead restoration efforts. He was also an active volunteer at Friends of the Land Keweenaw (FOLK) for years.
In later years heritage and Finnish traditions were very important to Milton. He appeared in the inaugural Tapiola July 4th parade in traditional Finnish garb walking and carrying a broad axe to represent Tapio, the Forest King. He would continue to reinvent the Tapio character in various forms in many parades to come.
Milton's happy place was the camp he built on Huron Bay where he spent many an hour enjoying the beautiful scenery and the quiet times after a hot sauna with the waves lapping at the dock and the loons calling to him. It was also the home to many family celebrations through the years, and the spark for Milton's legacy rag rug project. The project was a source of pride and included 33 beautiful individual rag rugs made for each immediate family member with the final rug being made for himself to enjoy at the camp. The rugs were intended to unite the family and remind them of Finnish rag rug traditions, his love of the Copper Country, and weaving history in the family. To Milton, the deep red colors crafted in the final rug represented the "heartbeat" of his love for his family.
Milton was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Helmi Salo, his sister Donna Archambeau, and his loving wife of 70 years, Karen.
He is survived by his children, Judy (Stan) Koplowitz of Flagstaff, Arizona, Karen Lynn (Mark) Massicotte of Keweenaw Bay, Michigan, Alan (Kathleen) Salo of Sherwood, Wisconsin, Lori (Ron) Mitchell of Tempe, Arizona; six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; sisters Ruth Clymer and Faith Makela, and numerous nephews, nieces, cousins and friends.
The family will be forever thankful for the wonderful care and companionship Milton received while residing at Gardenview. We were honored by the number of care givers who stopped by to let us know how much they will miss Milton's smile, treats, and noted what a privilege it was to provide care.
The family suggests memorials in Milton's honor to be directed to a charity of their choice.
Funeral services for Milton were Friday, June 26, 2026 at the Reid Funeral Service and Chapel, L'Anse, with Pastor Soren Schmidt officiating.
Interment took place in the Skanee Cemetery.
The Reid Funeral Service and Chapel has been entrusted with the funeral arrangements.