Martha S Hepokoski

Martha S. (Reinikka) Hepokoski, age 90, of Menahga, MN died Thursday, October 20, 2016 at Green Pine Acres Nursing Home in Menahga, MN. Martha was born to Gust and Sophia Reinikka on December 7, 1925 in Trout Lake Township, rural Bovey, where she was raised with her brother Wilfred, sister Mildred, and her twin sister Mary. She attended Birchwood School and graduated from Grand Rapids High School in 1944. She attended Duluth State Teachers College and did her student teaching in Hinckley. Martha was united in marriage to Raphael Hepokoski on December 24, 1949 in Menahga. Two children were born from this union. Martha and Raphael lived in Pleasant Hill, California for many years. She graduated from San Francisco State College and became a 3rd and 4th grade teacher. She enjoyed reading and sewing and had a special love for children throughout her life. Martha and Raphael returned to Menahga in 1983, where they were involved in the organization of the Menahga Area Historical Museum. She was a member of the Independent Apostolic Lutheran Church. In her final years, she lived with Alzheimer’s disease. Martha is survived by two children, Carol Hepokoski of Eveleth, MN and Henry Hepokoski of Menahga; two grandsons Andy (Margaret) Rosequist of Boston and Jonah Berquist of San Francisco; numerous nieces and nephews as well as many sisters and brothers in faith. Her husband, Raphael, died in November, 2010. The funeral service will be Sunday, October 23, 2016 at 1:00 at the Independent Apostolic Lutheran Church in Menahga, with visitation two hours prior to the service at the Church.