Swanson Peterson Funeral Home

Kay Michael “Sonny” McCalla, age 85, of Howard Lake, Minnesota, passed away on September 2, 2025.
He was born January 11, 1940, in Middleville Township, Minnesota, to Louis Henry and Martha Julia
(Lehtola) McCalla. He grew up in rural Howard Lake alongside his siblings Patricia, Ada, Joan, and David
and attended high school in Howard Lake. On January 5, 1962, Kay was united in marriage to Elvira
Constance (Barlau) McCalla. Together they raised five children—Leah Lynn, Jacob, Bethany, Angela, and
Sunnie Grace—on their family farm northwest of Howard Lake. He was a proud grandfather to Courtnie,
Jasamyne, Jaibyne, and Samaya, and great-grandfather to Orion, Silas, Haaken, Kadence, Emilayne,
Mavis, and Cormick. Kay was baptized on May 18, 1941, and later confirmed in faith at Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Cokato, Minnesota. He proudly served his country in the United States Air Force. He
was preceded in death by his parents, Louis and Martha McCalla. He will be remembered with love for his
kindness toward family, his steady presence, and the many lives he touched. Services will be held
Saturday, September 6, at Swanson Peterson Funeral Home in Howard Lake, Minnesota, with visitation at
1:00 pm and a funeral service at 2:00 pm. Interment will follow at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in
Annandale, Minnesota, with a light luncheon afterward at the church.

Terry S. Kotila, age 59 of Cokato, died Saturday August 23, 2025.
Funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday September 20, 2025 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, French Lake with visitation one hour prior to the service. Reverend Jerome Nikunen will officiate. Burial will follow at Riverside Cemetery, French Lake. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred.
Terry Scott Kotila was born March 22, 1966 in Litchfield, Minnesota to Toivo and Alyce Kotila. He grew up in the Cokato area along with his 10 siblings. Terry was baptized and confirmed in his faith at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. He attended Dassel Cokato High School. In his youth, Terry enjoyed fishing on Big Swan Lake and hunting on family land. Terry made his home in Cokato for the last five years before health problems had him moving to facilities in central Minnesota. His prior work history was in the roofing and construction industry. Phone calls to his children were very important to him and something he looked forward to.
Terry is survived by his two children, son Cody Kotila and daughter Kylie Kotila of Mesa, Arizona; siblings Ellyn Guerre (Mike Hannan) of Blaine, Larry (Gloria) Kotila of Dassel, Betty (Roland) Jurgens of Clearwater, Jerry Kotila of Kimball, Cheryl (Mike) Watson of Appleton, WI, Darrel (Kathleen) Kotila of South Haven, Brenda Stoffer of Morris, Diana Hentges of Watkins, many nieces and nephews; and other family members. He was preceded in death by his ex-wife Kim; parents; siblings Marlyn Hunt and Bonnie Kotila; and nephew Todd Roy.

Debbie Jean Sheldon, the only daughter and child of Gene and Bernice Marquette was born on June 3rd, 1955 in Sisseton SD.
Debbie married Dennis Sheldon on August 20th, 1988 and together they shared 3 children, along with 2 children from a previous marriage.
Debbie was a great housekeeper and cook. Many who knew Debbie were able to enjoy her homemade chili, chicken dumpling soup, some baked goods as well as some of her homemade “beverages” She had a green thumb and the knack for growing amazing indoor plants. She also enjoyed listening to music. Debbie could be known for her feisty nature and shenanigans, and many referred to her as “Ma”. Debbie especially enjoyed spending time with her grandkids. She adored them greatly.
During this past year with Doctor’s appointments, she found a new favorite drink from Starbucks. Dragon fruit with coconut milk. She would always have to stop for one. If you are out and about, enjoy one and remember Debbie.
Everyone who met Debbie, instantly liked her spunk. There are many memories to share, and she was loved deeply by many.
Debbie passed away at the age of 70 on August 29th, 2025.
She is survived by her children: Sonia Ewald of Litchfield, Chantel (Brice) Gillman of Darwin, Sarah Sheldon of Cokato, Kevin (Michelle) Sheldon of Dassel, and Kyle (Katie) Sheldon of St Paul. Six Grandsons: Bodee, Gaven (Molly), Deon, Kayden, Carter and Liam. Six Granddaughters: Morgan, Isabella (Noah), Brooklyn, McKenna, Leah and Grace. Three step-grandchildren: Kirsten, Arrik and Liam. And was soon to be a Great grandma.
Debbie was preceded in death by her parents Gene and Bernice Marquette and her husband Dennis Sheldon.
Visitation will be on Wednesday, September 3rd from 3:00-5:00 PM at the Swanson Peterson Funeral Home, Cokato, Minnesota.

Grace Kristine Niemela, 22, passed away peacefully at her home on August 27, 2025. Grace was born on May 24, 2003 in St. Cloud, Minnesota to Sam and Michelle Niemela. She graduated from Dassel-Cokato High School in 2021.

Grace shared a special bond with her brothers, cousins, and dear friends cherishing time spent together whether in quiet conversation or on exciting adventures. Grace had a love for travel and had the opportunity to visit many places across the US. She was always looking for travel buddies and planning her next trip! Her journeys with family and friends created a lifetime of meaningful memories that she held close to her heart. Grace had an artistic touch and often expressed herself through watercolor and ink. She had an entrepreneurial spirit from a young age which allowed her to achieve her dream of purchasing a horse and trailer. For nearly ten years she enjoyed training, competing and most importantly time spent with family and friends who supported her.

Grace’s life was rooted in her faith. She held several Bible verses close to her heart, drawing strength and peace from scripture throughout her life. Her faith was evident in the way that she lived – with kindness, courage and a generous heart. She connected with people of all ages and had a way of making them feel special. Grace will be remembered for her radiant smile, her fearless pursuit of what she loved and her ability to bring light and joy to those around her.

Grace is survived by her parents, Sam and Michelle Niemela; siblings Cole (Elle), Rhett and Markus; grandparents, Nathan and Nancy Niemela and Pete and Deb Halonen; many aunts, uncles, cousins and extended family who loved her dearly.

Funeral Service for Grace will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, September 2nd at First Apostolic Lutheran Church, Dassel, Minnesota.
Visitation will be from 4-7 PM at the church on Monday, September 1st. Also one hour prior to service on Tuesday at the church.
Internment will be at the Cokato Finnish Cemetery following funeral services.

Susan Kay Mallinson was born on June 16th, 1955 to parents Mary and Don, in Hutchinson, MN. She was the oldest of three children with siblings Carol and Charlie. In high school she was active in choir and various plays and was a soloist in many productions. She was an occasional child of “the shack” with three other families in northern MN and always enjoyed getting together with her many cousins and friends. She attended St. Cloud State College, and was one of the first women to graduate the engineering department with a degree in photographic engineering.
After college she met and married Craig Isaacson and they soon left on a grand adventure to Texas, where they eventually stayed for 16 years. They had one child, Kirsten, and Sue eagerly took on the role of gym mom, Care bear herder and My Little Pony wrangler. Sue worked in the photographic community thru the 90’s when she transferred back to Minnesota to be an area Technical Service Manager for Ritz Camera. Sue and Craig shared a love of Opera as well as having a good sense of humor-and considering who Sue was married to, it could thin on occasion. They also shared an intense love of photography. She was a longtime member of the Arboretum Photographic Society and served on their board, as well as having had many of her wildlife art prints shown and sold in a number of galleries.
With the demise of film in cameras Sue went to work in various support capacities in the medical world with United Healthcare until she retired about two years ago.
Without a doubt, her finest moment(s) was the appearance of her “little people”, four grandchildren. She would mark down every game and every recital, and those events always took priority over most everything else. She especially enjoyed planning and taking part in various adventures with the kids. She loved each one deeply and was very proud of all of them!
Sue was preceded in death by her parents, sister Carol and infant brother William. She is survived by her husband Craig, Eden Prairie, daughter Kirsten and husband Mike Lindsay, and four grandchildren, Rhys, Mackenzie, Delaney and Camden of Shakopee, brother Charles and wife Colleen Mallinson of Hutchinson, and brother-in-law Glenn McKillips and wife Rhonda of Andover, sister-in-law Connie Isaacson and husband Bruce of Dassel, and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews, as well as numerous cousins.
Sue’s happy place was Crex Meadows, and she loved to visit the Badlands in search of the elusive Hoots, small burrowing owls.
She will be remembered fondly by all who knew her and she treasured all of you whom she called Friend. Funeral Service will be held on August 29th, 2025 at 11:00 am at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cokato, Minnesota with visitation at 10:00 am. Arrangements by Swanson-Peterson Funeral Home of Cokato.
Peace