Dale E Nikula

Dale E. Nikula, 89, Finland MN, died on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, at St. Luke’s Hospital, with his family at his side.

Dale was born May 23, 1934, to Edwin and Sophie (Kalander) Nikula in Two Harbors and was a life-long resident of Finland. After graduating from the Two Harbors High School in 1952, he worked as a carpenter alongside his father and brother.  On June 9, 1956 Dale married the love of his life, Joretta Fenstad and shortly after joined the Army where he served until 1959. Dale and Joretta built their home in downtown Finland where they raised 2 children.  Dale worked for Malner Construction before starting his own business, Dale E Nikula Construction.  He also worked for local construction firms at various times.  His workmanship was well known.

Dale was a charter member of the Finland Fire Department and the St. Urho’s Day Committee. He was a member of Baptism River Community Church, the Finland Snowmobile Club, the Finland Minnesota Historical Society, the Our Place morning coffee club and many other local clubs. As the unofficial Finland area historian, he was active in establishing the Finland Historical site and was the caretaker until 2022.

Dale enjoyed snowmobiling, camping, and spending time with family and friends.  Upon retirement, he and Joretta traveled in their motorhome across the US and Canada with a special train trip through Copper Canyon in Mexico.  Dale was known for always having raffle tickets in his pockets and loved meeting new people wherever he went.

Dale was preceded in death by his parents; brother Richard; sister Marlis Runnberg and nephew Richard Nikula Jr.

He is survived by his wife, Joretta; children, Lori (Pat) Driscoll and Tom Nikula; granddaughter, Kaija Beamer (Aaron Hansen); brother, Dean Nikula; sisters, Delma Nyblom and Ginger (Paul) Tolzmann; brother-in-law Don Runnberg and several nieces and nephews.

Dale’s family would like to thank Paul, Andi and all the staff at St Luke’s ICU as well as everyone at Waterview Shores for the care they gave Dale.

Visitation will be from 1:00 pm until the 2:00 pm service on Saturday November 11, 2023 at Baptism River Community Church in Finland.  A light luncheon will follow at the Clair Nelson Center.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Finland Fire Dept or Finland MN Historical Society.  The service will be livestreamed on the “Clair Nelson Center in Finland, MN” facebook page.