COLLETTE ELAINE LEHTI Collette Elaine Lehti (Cole) of Eden Prairie was born to Clarence and Lorraine Cole (Miller) on March 27, 1951, in Milwaukee, Wis. She passed away peacefully at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester on January 9, 2023, with her husband at her side. She is survived by her husband Jussi, her children Paul Lehti, Erika Wald and Sonja (Stephen) Thole, grandchildren Andrew Lehti, Whitney Lehti, Emma Wald, Hailey "Will" Wald, Alexander Thole, Isabelle Thole and Brandon Oxley, her sister Debbie (Randy) Theush and brother Donald (Vicky) Olson, many cousins, nieces and nephews and many friends we consider part of our family. Early in her life Collette set aside a promising career at Blue Cross Blue Shield and settled into her life's calling of being a mother, wife, grandmother, a trusted friend. On occasion she took some odd jobs and volunteer opportunities, always with the same stipulation; she was never to work when her children were out of school. She was an avid quilter, gardener, baker and cook, often preserving her harvests to share with family and friends during winter months. She had a great love for all things outdoors, never missing an opportunity to do a little camping with her children and grandchildren, eager to share her favorite spots in Minnesota and Wisconsin. She loved roadtripping with her husband, usually to all the different Minnesota State Parks, managing to visit all of them twice and many of them more times than she could remember; camping and hiking, birding, foraging, enjoying the great diversity of nature we are so blessed with. She loved spending part of the winters in the Southwest US, especially in the more remote areas of Northern New Mexico and Arizona, as well as Utah and SW Colorado. She would continue to spend time exploring all these places until her health started to fail her. A special thank you to all the incredible friends who touched her life, supported and cared for her, including the amazing staff at Mayo Clinic, St. Mary's Hospital and the Gift of Life Transplant House in Rochester. Collette's final act of kindness was to donate her body to teaching and science at Mayo Clinic. Because of this we will not have her remains for some time. Her final wish was to have her ashes combined with her husband's for eternity. A private internment with immediate family will be held sometime in the future for both her and her husband at Dawn Valley Chapel in Bloomington. Those wishing to make memorial donations should direct them to Gift of Life Transplant House, 705 2nd St SW, Rochester, MN 55902, or at
gift-of-life.org.
Published by Granite Falls Advocate Tribune from Jun. 27 to Jun. 29, 2023.