August 31, 2014 Hubbell
Bernard “Bunny” LaBelle, 93, a resident of the Houghton County Medical Care Facility and formerly of Hubbell passed away on Sunday, August 31, 2014 surrounded by his loving family.
He was born on August 20, 1921 in Hancock, son of the late Joseph and Josephine (Chiminatti) LaBelle.
Bunny attended St Ignatius School in Houghton, E.L. Wright School, St. Joseph’s School and Hancock High School. Bunny was a veteran of the U.S. Army during WW II, serving in Scotland, Dover England, Wales, South Hampton, Utah Beach, Normandy, Netherlands and Belgium.
On September 8, 1978 he was married to the former Rosemary Decker in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Lake Linden. She preceded him in death on April 11, 1999.
Bunny was employed at Atlas Powder here in the Copper Country and Coast to Coast Hardware Store in Hancock.
Bunny enjoyed cutting, splitting and stacking wood; working in his vegetable and flower garden, his raspberry patch, and going to the South Range VFW Hall each week to polka with his dear wife Rosemary. Bunny was a numbers guy who enjoyed keeping track of all sorts of statistics; whether it was for the Detroit Tigers, Green Bay Packers or just in his daily life. He kept his daily journals to help even more with his stats. Faith and family were a very important part of Bunny’s life.
He was preceded in death by his wife Rosemary, sisters: Marie, Luella, Theresa Jean, Catherine Ann, Marion Josephine, Frances and Joan.
He was a member of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Calumet, American Legion Post 90 in Lake Linden, American Legion Post 186 in Hancock and South Range VFW #6165.
Surviving are: 3 Daughters: Charlene (Brian) Laakonen of Calumet, Margaret (Peggy) Maatta of Hancock and Michele Maatta of Hancock. 3 Grandchildren: Jessica (Jeff Klein) Fields of Grand Rapids, MI; Bryana (Shane Van Linn, fiancée) Laakonen of Green Bay, WI and Nathan Laakonen of Hancock. Sister: Patricia (Wiitanen) Decker of Hancock. Sister-in-law: Cathy (David) Carlyon, brother-in-laws: James Decker and Raymond (Anita) Decker all of New Mexico as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, September 6, 2014 at 11 AM at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Calumet with Fr. Abraham Mupparathara to officiate.
Friends may call at the Erickson Crowley Peterson Funeral Home in Calumet on Friday, September 5, 2014 from 4-8 PM. A parish prayer service will be held at 7:45 PM in the funeral home.
Burial will be in the Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Lake Linden with full military rights conducted by the Copper Country Veterans Association.
Online condolences can be left for the family at www.ericksoncrowleypeterson.com.
The family wishes to extend a special thank you to the 1st floor staff at the HCMCF, his physician Dr. David Kass and the staff at Portage Health, those who tended to his spiritual care; Fr. Abraham, Deacon Art, Fr. John and Fr. William as well as the numerous Eucharistic ministers from local parishes. The family is grateful for the excellent end-of-life care provided by Aspirus Keweenaw Home Health and Hospice.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Bernard Joseph ""Bunny"" LaBelle, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.