John William Samuelson passed into the arms of his Heavenly Father on Thursday, August 15, 2024 in Moose Lake, Minnesota.

He was born on October 9, 1942 in Cook, Minnesota to Walter Iver and Martha Irene (Mattson) Samuelson. The family lived in Cook until his mother moved them to Duluth so the boys could see their father more as he worked on the Great Lakes Ships. After his father died when he was 9 years old, John and his younger brother, Walter Charles "Chuck," were raised in Duluth by their mother, a short but feisty Finn who taught her boys obedience and independence.

John attended Jefferson Elementary and Washington Junior High schools, graduating from "old" Duluth Central High School in 1961. After high school, he attended UMD majoring in forestry where he learned his love for working with wood. However, in early 1963, he changed his emphasis to pre-seminary and then graduated from UMD in 1965 with a BA in Social Science, minoring in Geography. His deep love of God and the guidance of his sponsor, Rev. Henry Aukee, of Messiah Lutheran in Duluth, led him to his life of working for God in whatever position he was placed.

In the Summer of 1965, John moved to Northwestern Seminary where he studied and worked. Some of the locations he served as an intern included:  Holy Trinity Lutheran, Hibbing; Elim Lutheran, Robbinsdale; First Lutheran, Meadowlands; Hope Lutheran, Toivola and Webster, South Dakota. After his graduation/ordination in Spring 1969, John served Arnold Lutheran Church in Duluth, until 1974, followed by Bethel Lutheran Church, Duluth until the mid-1980s.

During these years, John held other jobs which expanded his skills and knowledge: working at Western Steel Cutters, a local sawmill, and then as the Building and Sanitary Inspector for Rice Lake Township. He spent many years on the Rice Lake Fire Department and as a part-time fire instructor for the Duluth Vo-Tech.

John married Kim Laurene Turner in 1979 and they shared 45 very happy years together. In the late 1980s, after several years of both of them working multiple jobs at the same time, John decided to take a different life track and graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering Tech from the Duluth Vo-Tech. He worked for many years with St. Louis County Highway Engineers, retiring in 2010.

In addition to his love of making things with wood, John loved to travel and do genealogy research.  He and Kim spent thousands of hours happily doing research and traveling for fun and genealogy. They went to 45 of the U.S. states, as well as to Finland, and gathered lots of genealogy info for both sides. He loved animals, especially dogs; every dog he had loved him with complete devotion. John loved to sing and listen to music, often spending his evenings listening to his LPs and CDs. John and Kim moved from Duluth to Kettle River in 2007, and they spent happy years, working and relaxing outside. Up to just 6 years ago, John was still cutting and splitting 10 cord of firewood every summer for the house's heating supply.

John's life was a simple life with country living and Christian values. He loved his family and friends and would do anything he could to help in any way. After God, family was most important to him. He loved spending time with friends, talking trips and genealogy and anything Finn. He loved classic/antique cars and tractors. He was a proud 100% Finn, as all his grandparents had immigrated from Finland, and he thoroughly enjoyed spending time with his Brother Knights of the Pohjolaisen Maja #25 Knights of Kaleva, Virginia MN.

John's family and friends are heartbroken at losing him, but they know his body was completely tired after over 4 years of fighting stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer. He didn't want to leave his family, but God called him home for a much-deserved rest. One day soon, we'll see him again, happy and clothed in his new Heavenly body.

The family gives their deepest thanks to John's many doctors and medical providers through the years, especially Dr. Brett Friday and Dr. Kalkidan Bishu, both with Essentia Duluth, and Dr. Stuart Bloom, of Fairview Minneapolis.  There is additional gratitude for his caregivers at the Moose Lake Village and with St. Croix Hospice for their care in his remaining weeks.

John was preceded in death by his father Walter (1952); mother Martha (1999); brother Chuck (1997); beloved cousin John O Barnes and his wife Leslie; cousin Jack Samuelson; and cousin-in-law Deb Wagner.

He is survived by his devoted and loving wife of 44 years, Kim of Kettle River; his son Christopher (Shawna) Samuelson and their two children, Zane and Ella, of Duluth; his daughter Jennifer (Nathan) Johnson and their daughter Aila, of Moose Lake; his daughter Amy from his first marriage (unknown location); his Mattson cousins Bill (Jan) Barnes of Michigan, Jackie (Arnie) Voight of Minnesota, and Cindy Barnes of Arizona; his Samuelson cousin Diane (Jim) Lewis, and cousin Jack Samuelson's widow, Donna, all of the Twin Cities; and many friends from all over the world.

A private family burial was held on August 17, 2024, with arrangements through Hamlin Hansen Kosloski Funeral Home of Moose Lake.  A memorial service will be held at a future date.