Obituary: Larry Luukkonen

Arnold "Larry" Luukkonen died May 30, 2023. He was born at Raiter Hospital Cloquet on Oct. 30, 1941. He was the only child of Arnold M. Luukkonen and Vivian F. (Debrowolski).

Larry graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1963 with a history degree, later receiving a master's in history from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Thereafter, he taught history at Bemidji State University and later worked for the State of Minnesota as state fire marshal inspector.

He resided in McGregor for many years. Larry was a past member of Round Lake Presbyterian Church and longtime member of Presbyterian Church of Cloquet. He made many public speeches based on his investigations into local history. He teamed up with friend Steve Cummings to reenact the fur trade history to a variety of groups. Larry wrote numerous articles for the Aitkin Independent Age newspaper.

Some of the books Larry authored or co-authored with Marlene Wisuri. include "A Hometown Album: Cloquet's Centennial Story," "Reuben B. Carlton: Frontier Blacksmith and Visionary" and "Cloquet: the Story Behind the Name."

Larry was most proud of his magnum opus "Between the Waters, Tracing the Northwest Trail from Lake Superior to the Mississippi," a conclusion to his extensive historical research.

Larry Luukkonen is survived by many good friends, including Allen Anway, Steven Cummings and Cindy Thompson.

There will be a celebration of life at 3 p.m. on Oct. 1 at the Presbyterian Church of Cloquet. All are welcome to attend and listen to the music program. For additional information, contact Kay Biga at (218) 390-6507.

Pine Knot News, Sept. 22, 2023