Lionel “Neil” H. Halonen

Lionel “Neil” H. Halonen, age 93, of Two Rivers, passed away Tuesday morning, November 2, 2021 at his residence.

Neil was born on July 17, 1928, in Callaway, MN, son of the late William and Ina (Lehto) Halonen. He attended Boys’ Technical High School in Milwaukee. On April 10, 1948 he married the former Coralyn Zimmermann. She preceded him in death on 24 March 1999. On February 21, 2004, he married the former Claudia A. (LaFond) Malley at Holy Innocents Catholic Church in Manitowoc. Neil was employed at Kraft Foods, Auquamatic Piers, and Thiele Tanning all in Milwaukee, retiring in 1992. He was past president of the Manitowoc Lions Club, and member of the Silver Memories Choir, Manitowoc Senior Center, Lakeshore Visually Impaired VIPs Support Group, Transit Commission of Manitowoc, and the Senior Center Cribbage Club. Neil enjoyed singing, visiting Lake Delavan, walking, playing cribbage and his pets.

Survivors include his wife: Claudia A. Halonen; 2 daughters: Deborah Mokelke, Denise (Dan) Gehrke; 4 step-daughters: Linda (Ronald) Fencil, Sally (Daniel) Schmidt, Patti (Jason) Wagner, Penny (Paul) Fabian; 12 grandchildren: Tammy (Ben) Lindstrom, Jeromy LeTendre, Michael (Leanne) Semanko, James (Lu) Semanko, Tara Stoeger (Nolan Koepp), Bailey Fencil, Adam (Morgan Castro) Fencil, Dalton (Payton) Schmidt, Samantha Schmidt, Payton Shillcox, Alanna Fabian, Max Fabian; 11 great-grandchildren: Addison Stoeger, Dayton Woest, Jimmy Lindstrom, Benny Lindstrom, Jack Semanko, Gabriel Semanko, Lily Semanko, Madison LeTendre, Alexis LeTendre, Cooper Shipley, Lila Fencil; 1 brother: Wayne “Rueben” Halonen; 2 sisters and 1 brother-in-law: Dorothy Wernig, Joanne (James) Gradinjan; extended family: Joe and Tammy Potter and their sons, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends also survive.

He was preceded in death by his parents: William and Ina Halonen; 1 daughter: Diane Semanko; 2 sons-in-law: Ron Semanko, Rich Mokelke; 1 granddaughter: Samantha Gehrke; 9 sisters and 11 brothers-in-law: Mary (Alfred) Anderson, Sandra (Mathias) Koukari, Helen (Elvie Routley, Robert Peterson) Peterson, Lillian (Fred Maki, Lawrence Gidney) Gidney, Leila (John) Gadosh, Wilma (Walter) Gilhuber, Barbara and Florian Dominiak, Betty Jo Baca, Rosalie Halonen; 5 brothers and 6 sisters-in-law: Rudolph (Emily) Halonen, William (Mary) Halonen, Harry (Margaret) Halonen, Eugene (June) Halonen, Arthur (Judy) Halonen, Jackie Halonen; 3 sisters-in-law and 3 brothers-in-law: Nancy (Richard) Cappell, Harriet (Al) Stack, Geraldine (Paul) Filipinni.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, November 6, 2021 at St. Francis of Assisi on Waldo, 1121 North 14th Street, Manitowoc. Rev. George Daniel will celebrate the Mass of Christian Burial. Relatives and friends may call at the church on Saturday from 10:00 AM until the time of services at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made in Neil's name to the Alzheimer's Association at www.ALZ.org. The Reinbold & Pfeffer Family Funeral Home of Manitowoc assisted the family with funeral arrangements. Online condolences may be expressed at www.lakeshorefamilyfuneralhomes.com

The family would like to express our sincere thanks to Holy Family Memorial Hospice for their care and support during the past 8 months, with a very special thank you to Nicole, Julia & Bethany.

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