Ellen Honga
Ellen Esther Sylvia Honga, 77, of Menahga died Sunday, April 9, 2006 at Frazee Care Center in Frazee.
She was born Aug. 8, 1928 to Henry and Waldena (Jonas) Makinen in Green Valley Township, Becker County. She attended school at Dist. 56 through the eighth grade, and helped her parents on the family farm.
She married Edward Honga in 1951. They farmed on the Honga family farm, where she stayed with her in-laws while her husband was in the US Army. In 1966, they moved to Columbia Heights, where she worked as a nurse's aide for Crest View Lutheran Home for eight years. In 1974, they moved to Menahga. In August 1999, she moved to Woodside Manor Apartments in Menahga.
She was a member of Sebeka Apostolic Lutheran Church and served on the church board. She also was a member of the Minnesota Finnish American Historical Society, the Area Historical Museum and the Senior Citizens Center, delivered meals to Woodside Manor and belonged to the Menahga Conservation Club, serving as treasurer. She volunteered at Green Pine Acres Nursing Home and the Senior Health Clinic in Menahga and was active in the Retired Senior Volunteer Program.
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She is survived by a son, Ronald (Naomi Martin) of Menahga; sister, Jennie Haataja of Minneapolis; two brothers, Edwin (Karen) of Park Rapids and Emil (Jean) of Boise, ID; nine grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband in 1981, sister, Martha Yunker, and brother, Nestor.
Visitation: 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 13 at the Wevley Funeral Home in Sebeka.
Funeral: 11 a.m. Friday, April 14 at the Sebeka Apostolic Lutheran Church with Pastor Art Skoog officiating. Organist will be Janet Mattson. Congregational hymns will include "I Fall Asleep in Jesus' Wounds," "There is a Home where Earthly Storms" and "When Bells Start their Tolling to Call me Away."
Honorary casketbearers: Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Active casketbearers: Markus, Matthew, Jeremy and Michael Honga, Timothy Salmen and Tom Niska.
Interment: Pickerel Lake Cemetery. Cemetery hymn will be "Now the Cares of Day Are Ended."
