Jerry Loh passed away at the age of 81 on Nov. 24, 2019, in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, after many years of struggling with several health issues. He was born to Norwegian immigrants, John and Cecilia (Eide) Loh, on June 27, 1938, in Two Harbors, Minnesota.
Jerry lived on the North Shore for nearly all of his life. He spent his childhood in Lutsen, where his father was a commercial fisherman and his mother managed Sunny Dale Cabins. During high school, he lived in Grand Marais until he joined the Army. After the Army, he took a job at Honeywell in Minneapolis, where he worked on parts that were used for the Apollo space program.
Jerry returned to the North Shore, worked at Lutsen Ski Area, and started dating Diane Toftey, who was working at Lutsen Resort. They married and had a daughter, Melissa. A few years later, they built and ran the Best Western Cliff Dweller motel and Jerry opened the Tofte Standard Station. Their second daughter, Jennifer, was born and five years later, they moved just down the road to Tofte, where they lived for 37 years.
Jerry knew all the comings and goings along Highway 61 and supported the community in his own way by servicing people’s cars, plowing neighbors’ driveways, delivering papers to friends and writing letters to advocate for preserving the natural beauty of the North Shore. Jerry loved hunting, fishing, walking in the woods, driving the back roads, making metal sculptures, going to car shows and buying and selling all sorts of things, but mainly cars.
When Jerry closed the Tofte Standard Station he became the maintenance director for Cook County, where he continued to serve the community. Jerry and Diane became snowbirds and relocated to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where he enjoyed the classic cars and warm weather with the company of familiar faces from the North Shore.
Jerry is survived by his wife of 53 years, Diane (Toftey) Loh, along with their daughters and families: Melissa Conforti (Marco Crolla, Sam Crolla, Bruno Crolla, Cecilia Conforti) and Jennifer Backstrom (Rick Backstrom, Logan Backstrom, Sela Backstrom); his brother, Elwood Loh and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Marais at 11 a.m. Dec. 27. Luncheon will be served afterward and family, friends and colleagues are invited to share their memories through photos and stories of Jerry during that time. Please join the family in celebrating his life.
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