
Elwood Walter Manninen, age 80, of Buffalo, formerly of Annandale, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. A memorial service was held on Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 11:00 a.m, with visitation at 1the Good Shepherd Free Lutheran Church in Cokato, with Pastor Mark Olson officiating. Interment of the urn will be held at the church cemetery on a later date. There was a time to gather with the family from 6 to 8 pm.at the Good Shepherd Free Lutheran Church in Cokato on Sunday, Oct. 2. The Johnson Funeral Home in Dassel is in charge of the memorial arrangements. Elwood Walter Manninen was born on Sept. 6, 1942, in Hancock, Michigan to Walter Clemens Manninen and Vieno Maria (Jurva) Manninen. He graduated from Houghton High School and then attended Michigan Tech. In 1964, Elwood was drafted into the United States Army and served as a Military Policeman until his honorable discharge in 1966. On Dec. 10, 1966, Elwood married Karen Margaret Juusola at the Cokato Finnish Apostolic Church in Cokato. He and Karen raised their four children in Michigan where he worked in research at the Eaton Corporation until his retirement in 2003, at which time they joined their children in Minnesota. Elwood grew up in a Christian home and lived by faith. He was a member of Good Shepherd Free Lutheran Church. He loved to spend time with his family especially for holidays and special events. He loved to tell stories, always had a project going, and was always going to his grandchildren’s activities and sporting events. He will be missed immensely by his family and his friends. He is survived by his wife, Karen, children: Eric (Jackie), Laura (Ben) Niemela and Andrew (Julie), sister, Virginia Saarela of Anthem, Arizona, 11 grandchildren: Emily, Hailey, Maila, Tarja, and Logan Manninen; Olli, Senja, and Suvi Niemela; Ethan, Gregory, and Phillip Manninen and many family and friends. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Anne Margaret Manninen, his parents, Walter and Vieno Manninen, in-laws: Wayne Saarela, Norman Haag, Sally Haag, Pat Juusola, Detta Juusola, Steve Davison, and Phil Johnson.