John Jacob Seppanen

John Jacob Seppanen passed away on November 26, 2024 at the age of 78 at the University of Minnesota Hospital. John was born on July 27, 1946 in Chicago to Elmer and Linda Seppanen. He was the third of five children. John’s folks moved to Trout Creek Michigan when John was young. John went to high school in Trout Creek, with interests in sports, music and automobiles. After high school graduation John received a degree in Industrial Arts from Northern Michigan University, along with teaching certificates from multiple states. Upon graduation John took a job teaching small engine repair for high school, but after a couple years he decided that teaching wasn’t his chosen career path and left education to take multiple jobs, finally settling in the HVAC industry, where he worked on design and eventually sales and customer service.

John met and married Marcie Junes in 1969, and they had two children Errin and Joshua. Josh was born with multiple physical and developmental disabilities and John and Marcie worked to get him the care he needed. After sometime John and Marcie went their own ways and later John met Melinda Goetsch. John and Mindy fell in love and were married in 1984.  They settled in Elk River, were they eventually bought a property with an old farmstead on it. They remodeled and renovated the farmstead and John helped landscape and the many beautiful gardens on the property.  John had many talents, he could always be counted on to help fix a car.  Besides cars and remodeling, John was an accomplished musician. John could basically play anything with strings. He enjoyed bluegrass music, and was always up to jam with friends or play in a group entertaining in many venues.  It was always fun to hear John play.  

John retired at age 64, and traveled with Mindy. He enjoyed his 4 grandchildren as well as keeping his connections with friends and family.  In 2013 John was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and in 2018 had a lung transplant.  The extra six years John had let him meet his 6 great grandchildren.  

John is preceded in death by his parents, father in-law Orville, mother-in-law Elsie, his brother Ted, sister Lynn, sister-in-law Angela, and his son Josh. He is survived by his wife of 40 years Mindy, sister-in-law Carol Benson, his daughter Errin Brungardt (Jeff) , his grandchildren Kara Schneider (Tom), Bobby Brungardt (Lu), Elaina Fronden (Jacob), and Isaac Hintsala (Rina), his six great grandchildren Eleanor and Eli (5), Zachary (4), Dorothy and Harper (3) and Walter Seppo (10 months), brothers Harvey and Gordy, many nieces, nephews, dear friends, and brothers and sisters in faith.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 7 at 11:30 am at the Minneapolis Independent Apostolic Lutheran Church 14000 129th Ave. N, Dayton, MN 55327. Visitation will start at 9:30 a.m. Burial at the Meadow Hills Cemetery immediately following the service with lunch provided afterwards in the church lunchroom.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Dare’s Funeral Home of Elk River, MN. 763-441-1212. www.daresfuneralhome.com

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