Ardelle Mae Hakala

Ardelle Mae Hakala passed away peacefully at home with her family at her side on January 10, 2019. Born in Virginia, Minnesota on March 15, 1926 to Henry and Ada Hakala, she lived a remarkable 92 years. Ardelle was a great mom to Susan (Peter) Dennis, Steve (Tanya) Hutkowski, Sandra Wild and Sharon Hutkowski, and proud Nana to Claire Dennis and Will Dennis.

After graduating from Virginia High School in 1943, she spent a year in Washington DC working as a secretary at the FBI. Returning to Virginia she began a career at the Mesabi Daily News. In 1952 she married Martin Anthony Hutkowski and they soon relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where they raised their family and where Ardelle lived until 2016.

Seemingly never idle, Ardelle was always involved with her children while also an extraordinary seamstress, school volunteer and PTA president, reader and gardener. She loved new experiences and as her children moved around the US, she found adventures in each location, often involving boating and sports. She was also a great companion to her family’s cats and dogs.

Ardelle enjoyed sports and was always in the stands cheering on her children.

Likewise, she cheered for her grandchildren, even watching Will’s baseball games online last summer. She was a loyal Green Bay Packers fan and cheered them to the end of their disappointing 2018 season.

In retirement she enjoyed her routine of driving to exercise class, weekly hair appointments, tending her flower garden, and shopping and visiting with her neighbors. For the past two years Ardelle lived with her daughter Sandra in Green Valley, Arizona, continuing her knitting, crosswords and puzzles, and enjoying new friendships.

We deeply miss her smile and infectious laugh, and cannot be more proud and thankful for the wonderful life our Mom lived and how she enriched ours.

The family will hold a private memorial in the near future.